Smoking Cessation Counseling

The Reading Hospital percentages displayed in this graph reflect discharges during second quarter 2011. State and national rates from the US Department of Health & Human Services are for discharges between October 2009 and September 2010.

Why is this important?

Smoking damages your lungs and can make it hard to breath. Smoking increases your chances of getting pneumonia or other chronic lung diseases like emphysema and bronchitis. Smoking is also linked to lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, and can cause premature death. It is important for you to get information to help you quit smoking before you leave the Hospital. Quitting may reduce your chance of getting pneumonia again.

Our approach to improving performance:

The Reading Hospital is now a smoke-free campus. We provide our patients with educational material about how to quit smoking, including dates for our Breathe Easy Smoking Cessation classes and Stay Quit Support Group. A counselor is available for patients who want to quit smoking, and our patient education booklet, A Change of Heart, includes additional resources for those seeking help.