Cartoon by Sophia B (10 years) – with thanks.
Dr Karen Counter MBBS is pleased to announce that she will be opening a smoking cessation clinic in Port Macquarie on Thursday 1 November 2018.
The clinic will be held at Suite 1, The Highfields Centre, 2 Wrights Road, Port Macquarie 2444. The phone number is 0466 341 512.
Clients will be bulk-billed. Please bring your Medicare and Healthcare or Pension cards.
A referral is not required, although a medical history and medication list would be very helpful.
Enquires from health professionals are welcome. Contact Karen Counter on 0429 816 346 or email: [email protected]
Online booking is available at http://www.portsmokersclinic.com.au, or you can phone 0466 341 512 and leave your name and contact number; your call will be returned as soon as possible.
A Facebook page can be accessed at: www.facebook.com/pmqstopsmoking
Dr Counter has a special interest in ‘painless’ smoking cessation, and was trained by the Australian Association of Smoking Cessation Professionals. She has had many years’ experience in successfully working with heavy, long-term and dependent smokers. She has worked in general practice for over 30 years and is a supporter of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association.
Clients…
- Don’t have to be ready to quit, just willing to discuss their smoking and understand their options.
- Don’t have to stop smoking immediately; one waits until the treatment is working.
- Don’t need to stop using nicotine if it helps with their mental health (anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder), their tension and stress, weight-loss, cognition, concentration and memory.
- Clients will be offered evidence-based and personalised treatment and may be provided with PBS-subsidised prescriptions for nicotine patches and varenicline (Champix) or bupropion (Zyban) if appropriate and they fit eligibility requirements. A carbon monoxide meter is used to determine heaviness of smoking and guide treatment.
Adult smokers who have made repeated, unsuccessful attempts to quit and who choose to vape nicotine as a safer alternative to smoking may be offered a prescription for liquid nicotine in order to import it.
Please note: For ‘no-shows’ or cancellations without at least 24 hours notice, a fee of $10 will be charged.
Disclosures: Dr Counter also works as an independent contractor for Nicovape, providing, for a nominal fee, prescriptions for liquid nicotine.
