Quitting Smoking: Resources on the Eastern Shore

Quitting smoking is an important step to improving your overall health. By quitting smoking, you help reduce your chances of developing heart disease, cancer and decrease your risk of stroke. Learn about some resources that can help you quit and stay quit.

Talk to your primary care provider or your pulmonary care specialist about prescription smoking cessation methods. You may also consider joining an in-person smoking cessation program, like UM Shore Regional Health's Breathe Again: A Journey to a Smoke-Free and Healthier YOU. More details are below.

Ask your provider if you qualify for University of Maryland Shore Regional Health's Lung Cancer Screening Program. The program is offered by University of Maryland Shore Medical Group -Pulmonary Care in Cambridge, Chestertown and Easton on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Lung Cancer Screening can help catch disease at its earliest, most treatable stage.

Or, reach out to a local smoking cessation support resource below to get help. Your pulmonary care specialist may also refer you to one of the programs below. Programs are available in all five counties served by UM Shore Regional Health and many programs offer free smoking cessation medications or aids, education, support and developing a personal quit plan.

Breathe Again: A Journey to a Smoke-Free and Healthier YOU

This course is offered by UM Shore Regional Health. Join Sandra Wilson-Hypes, Health Educator for University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, as she offers guidance, information, tools and resources to help course participants quit smoking. Course topics include: Smoking 101, creating a quit-smoking plan, information on the various health risks of smoking, discussion on the challenges to quitting smoking, and information, tools and resources to staying smoke free. Attendance in all five sessions of the course is encouraged but not required.

Participants who complete the course can expect:

improved health
to gain a deeper understanding of the addiction of smoking and its effects on your health
improvement in mood or with symptoms of depression
a reduced need for doctors’ visits or hospitalization
connection with a community of individuals on the same journey
to learn effective strategies to overcome cravings and triggers
increased chances of achieving long-term success in quitting smoking

Classes are open to all smokers. Family members and caretakers are encouraged to participate as well. Register online at umshoreregional.org/health-education and click on the date(s) of the course you wish to attend in the calendar provided. More details are below.

Eastern Shore Tobacco Cessation Programs

Caroline County

Dorchester County

Call 410-228-3223 for details about Thrive Dorchester's program or to request a Quit Smoking Packet. Find a smoking and vaping cessation event near you.

Kent County

Call 410-778-2533 for more information about what smoking cessation support and tools Kent County Department of health has to offer or email Nicole Morris.

Queen Anne's County

Call 443-758-1306 to speak to the Prevention Coordinator, Dorine Fassett for more information about quitting smoking in Queen Anne's County.

Talbot County

The smoking cessation program is free to Talbot County residents, regardless of income or insurance. Medications are offered free to those with consent from a physician. Classes run for 12 weeks and there is a combination of group education and individual support and counseling. For more information or to register for this free program, call the Talbot County Health Department at 410-819-5639. A physician referral form can also be found on the website.

Maryland Tobacco Quitline

Resources are available online and over the phone to Maryland residents through the Maryland Tobacco Quitline.

Call 1-800-Quit-Now (1-800-784-8669) for phone counseling and nicotine replacement patches, available for free, or visit the Maryland Tobacco Quitline website.

The Maryland Tobacco Quitline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for those age 13 and older.

English and other languages are available.

SmokeFree

SmokeFree offers a variety of interactive tools to help you quit smoking.

MDQuit

MDQuit links professionals and providers to state tobacco initiatives in Maryland. Sign up for the Fax to Assist which is a convenient way for you to refer your clients to Maryland's Quitline to help them quit smoking. Join their mailing list find out about the latest in tobacco initiatives.

BecomeAnEX

BecomeAnEX is a free, interactive website that shows smokers how to relearn life without cigarettes. The site, developed by Legacy in partnership with Mayo Clinic, offers a free, personalized quit plan and an online support community to help people prepare to quit and stay quit.