Alabama health officials say more support from the state is needed to offset the cost of smoking cessation programs.

Alabama is one of the top five least “quit-friendly” states in the nation, according to the American Lung Association. Most insurance providers do not cover smoking cessation programs and there are limited state funds available to offset the costs, said Melanie Dickens, a tobacco prevention and control coordinator for the Alabama Department of Health.

Some states, including Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, cover a comprehensive tobacco cessation benefit for all Medicaid enrollees, according the American Lung Association. In Alabama, on the other hand, that benefit is available solely to pregnant women who are on Medicaid, Dickens said.

“Some private insurers will pay for cessation programs, but a lot of our private insurers in Alabama don’t,” she added.

Some free cessation programs are available, such as the Alabama Tobacco Quitline, which began in 2005 and is offered through the state Department of Health. Dickens said the quitline, available at 1-800-Quit-Now, is funded both federally and at the state level, though state funds are lacking despite the high volume of calls the line receives.

Alabama ranks eighth in the nation in states with the highest percentage of smokers, and more than 22 percent of adults in the state use tobacco, according to a quitline news release.

“(Our funding) is one of the lowest in the nation, yet we have a very high rate of people that are calling that number,” Dickens said. “Every state has a 1-800-Quit-Now, and our funding is low compared to the amount of calls coming in.”

The only way to procure more state funds is to elect legislators who want to allocate more money to helping individuals stop smoking, she said.

The quitline’s website, alabamaquitnow.com, is funded solely by federal stimulus money through the Affordable Care Act.

Through Alabama Quit Now, participants customize their quit programs by providing counselors with the reason they plan to quit as well as their quit date. Counselors are on hand to speak with participants from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays.

If a participant is medically eligible, a free four-week supply of nicotine patches will be made available to aid in the quitting process, Dickens said.

Ronda Hood, cardiopulmonary services director at Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield, said the shortage in state funding for smoking cessation programs means hospitals must take up the slack, because providing cessation information to patients who are smokers is required.

“We’re monitored on whether we do that or not, so we have to see every patient who comes in who is a smoker,” Hood said. “Very few insurance companies actually cover smoking cessation, and Medicare/Medicaid does not cover smoking cessation information, so we are pretty much required to cover it.”

A bill is pending that aims to increase taxes on tobacco products, and if it’s passed, Hood believes some of the revenue should be put toward smoking cessation programs.

“It can be local or through the state, but there should be programs to certify cessation instructors,” she said. As it is, most of those programs are funded by the American Lung Association or by people who take cessation classes and pay for them out of pocket.

Pam Fleming, manager of the Wellcare Center at Helen Keller, said the center’s seven-week cessation program comes with a $70 fee, which most pay themselves.

Occasionally, though, some participants will take the class on their employer’s dime.

“We do have success with quite a few companies in the area,” Fleming said. “If their employees wanted to quit smoking, they’ll pay for the class. It’s the same with us at the hospital — if one of our employees wanted to quit smoking, they have to attend all seven classes, and then we’ll reimburse the fee.”

Fleming said oftentimes, however, if an employee is presented with an ultimatum — stop smoking or find a new job — they’ll opt for the new job. Several employees at Helen Keller, for example, found new places of employment when the hospital campus became smoke free, she said.

Mary Lynn Jackson, a respiratory therapist at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence and the coordinator of the pulmonary rehabilitation program, said she, too, has had problems getting people to take advantage of cessation programs.

For instance, Jackson said she used to run an eight-week cessation program at the hospital, but after weeks of people signing up and then not attending meetings, the class was cut to four weeks.

Still, she said, people did not show up after registering, and the hospital could not continue to use resources and funds on a program people weren’t utilizing.

Now, Jackson said she’ll treat individuals on a one-on-one basis if they contact her for help, but the classes are no longer taking place. Jackson called losing the weekly meetings a shame, because most people tend to quit more successfully when they have a support group.

“I’m still a big proponent of smoking cessation,” she said. “I went to the state level to try to get a smoke-free Alabama, and I really don’t feel like that takes away the rights of smokers. I’m sitting here as an ex-smoker. It’s been about 30 years since I smoked, and I treat people every day and see its effects.

“Many people I treat love their cigarettes, but wish they’d never smoked. It’s an extremely hard dragon to fight, but I’m willing to fight it. People deserve to breathe clean air.”

For now, Dickens said she’s pleased with her part in getting a smoke-free ordinance adopted in Florence, but ultimately, she’d love to see a smoke-free state.

“A lot of people are (trying to quit) for their New Year’s resolution, but the best time to quit is when you know you want to quit. If you can’t do it for New Year’s, do it for your birthday. Make it a gift to yourself.”

Hannah Mask can be reached at 256-740-5728 or hannah.mask@TimesDaily.com.