ProCare in partnership with The Fono and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Maia Limited, are pleased to have the opportunity to deliver the new, regional Stop Smoking Service in the Auckland & Waitemata DHB regions.

ProCare spokesperson, Chief Operating Officer Dennis Baty said:

“ProCare, The Fono and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei are pleased to be the new providers of the Stop Smoking Service in Auckland & Waitemata to support people to be smokefree. We know that Māori and Pacific are greatly over-represented when it comes to death rates from smoking, so we’ll be working hard to reach and support these priority groups, as well as pregnant women.”

“Primary and community-based care providers are in an ideal position to identify those people who smoke, encourage them to quit and connect them with relevant services for support. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in New Zealand, and all too often our organisations see the damaging effects smoking has on people and their whanau. This is why ProCare, The Fono and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, are committed to delivering a high quality, customer-centric, flexible and accessible service that will help people stop smoking. We will also be working closely with Hāpai Te Hauora (Hāpai), the national advocacy body for tobacco control.”

“When we were developing the service, people who smoked told us what they wanted and what would help them quit. Choice is a key component of the programme, giving people the option of group-based sessions, which offer peer support and expert advice, or one-to-one coaching. In each case, the person undertaking the 4-week programme will be supported every step of the way by a qualified coach.”

“In the first few months the service will be in transition, but we’re taking calls as of today. When people decide to stop smoking, you want to make sure there’s help at hand to support them through their quit journey.”

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