Healthy Lungs Initiative


Launched in March 2008, Healthy Lungs Initiative is a multi-year collaboration between Cook County Health and Hospital Systems and Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago.

Through health education and counseling, Healthy Lungs Initiative strives to improve lung health among Cook County residents by increasing quit smoking rates and improving self-management skills for people with asthma or COPD. To that end, the trained staff of Lung Health Educators offers a range of services, including:
  • tobacco cessation counseling services such as individual and group counseling, information on medications, and telephone follow-up support.
  • asthma and COPD education on medication usage, exposure and trigger reduction, and device training.

Program highlights

Since September 2008:
  • more than 10,000 people have received asthma/COPD education. 
  • nearly 50,000 people have been interviewed about tobacco use.
             – Of these, more than 19,000 current smokers have received cessation counseling
                and more than 2,000 former smokers have received relapse prevention
                counseling.
  • more than 1,500 smokers in Cook County have been provided nicotine replacement therapy through our partnership with the Illinois Tobacco Quitline.

Program Delivery Sites

Healthy Lungs Initiative services are delivered within the Cook County Health and Hospitals System and in various community health clinics throughout Chicago.

 Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems Sites
 Community Health Sites                                       
 Stroger Hospital Specialty Clinics Erie Family Health Center
 Fantus Health Center   
 The Salvation Army Correctional Service
 Provident Hospital CommunityHealth
 Oak Forest Hospital Heartland Alliance
 Austin Health Center Haymarket Center
 Englewood Health Center The Women’s Treatment Center
 Logan Square Health Center Jorge Prieto Family Health Center
 Near South Health Center 

 
For more information on strategies and resources for quitting smoking or other issues related to tobacco use, view our Quit Smoking page. 

To learn more about Healthy Lungs Initiative, contact Sara Semal:
Email Sara
(312) 864-2758