“I feel better, I breathe better, I just live better”: Patient urges others to embrace a smoke-free life now! January 26, 2024 As part of National Non-Smoking Week, Horizon salutes those enrolled in our Smoking/Vaping Cessation Program in our various communities. “I feel better, I breathe better, I just live better,” said Minto resident Jarrod Goodrum, who is new to Horizon’s smoking cessation program after a lifetime of smoking. There is already much to celebrate – Jarrod says he already reaps the rewards of the expert advice provided by the nurse at the health centre and the prescribed stop smoking medication from his primary care provider. “We have found that a large number of our population want to quit but didn’t have the tools to even attempt to quit until they were offered to be enrolled in our smoking cessation program,” said Katie Morrell, a registered nurse at Horizon’s Queens North Community Health Centre. Quitting smoking is no easy feat, and Jarrod’s advice for aspiring quitters is simple: “Keep a cool head during dilemmas, and stay positive!”. Horizon Health Network’s Centre of Excellence for Clinical Smoking Cessation uses the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation, an evidence-based model that uses a supportive non-judgmental approach to offer tobacco/vaping cessation support to those accessing health care services.