SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Smoke Free St. Joe is celebrating the Indiana Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT NOW) fifteenth anniversary and its work to help St. Joseph County residents overcome their tobacco addiction and live healthier lives.

In light of the anniversary, the quitline is offering four weeks of free nicotine patches and gum to anyone who enrolls, while supplies last.

Since beginning in March 2006, the quitline has helped more than 180,000 tobacco users quit tobacco through its free phone counseling, web-based service Web Coach and supplementary texting service Text2Quit.

“The Indiana Tobacco Quitline plays an important part in helping all Hoosiers, including St. Joseph County residents, live healthier lives,” said Sandi Pontius.

The quitline has a quit rate of 43 percent, and Indiana’s adult smoking rate is 19.2 percent, down from 25.9 percent in 2011, in part due to strong smokefree air policies.

South Bend has one of the strongest Clean Air Ordinances in the state.

Throughout the pandemic, the quitline has been working to make quitting easier through new and improved service offerings.

This includes Text2Start, a new and easier way for Hoosiers to connect with free counseling services, and the Individual Services program, which provides increased flexibility through a choice of quit tools.

“We are excited to reach this milestone of the Indiana Tobacco Quitline’s 15th anniversary,” said Miranda Spitznagle, director of Tobacco Prevention and Cessation at the Indiana Department of Health.

“We’re also proud that the Quitline has been able to launch these additional services and cessation tools at a time when Hoosiers who use tobacco need it most,” Spitznagle added.

For more information about the quitline and the new service offerings, visit here.

For more information about the coalition, visit here.