Coming soon: NEW smoking cessation coaching program
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Smoking is the leading preventable cause of premature death and disease worldwide.1 However, quitting smoking permanently presents significant challenges and often requires multiple levels of support.
In 2025 we’ll be partnering with the Ottawa Heart Institute (OHI) to support Canadians who would like to stop smoking. We’re providing free access to a 1:1 coaching program called the Ottawa Model for Smoking Cessation (OMSC). The program is virtual and accessible to individuals in all provinces and territories, including Quebec.
We’ll launch this new coaching service to plan members in 2025. We’ll share information about the program on the my Sun Life mobile app and mysunlife.ca. Plan members who have interacted with past smoking cessation campaigns will also receive an email. Standard exclusions will apply for plan member communications.
Coaching by the OHI will be available to plan members and their dependents at no additional cost. This is the next step in Sun Life’s commitment to provide chronic disease management solutions to plan members, eligible dependents, and Canadians.
Lumino Health™ Pharmacy,2 provided by Pillway3 is overseeing the intake process for the program outside of Quebec. The pharmacist will review the individual’s application and refer them to the OHI. In Quebec, individuals will follow a different process.4 Nicotine Addiction Treatment Specialists (NATS) at the OHI will be responsible for providing coaching to individuals once enrolled.
As a reminder the chronic disease care programs offered through Lumino Health Pharmacy (the Diabetes Care and Respiratory Care Programs) aren’t available in Quebec.
Plan members in Ontario may also choose to enroll into an optional research study.
Plan Sponsor Communication
We’ll send this Focus Update to plan sponsors on December 5, 2024.
Questions? We’re here to help.
Please contact your Sun Life Group Benefits representative.
1https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/smoking-tobacco/quit-smoking.html
2Pharmacy services are provided by Pillway.
3SHG Pharmacy Inc. and SHG West Pharmacy Inc., doing business as Pillway pharmacies, are partially owned by Simpill Health Group Inc. For your information, and as a point of disclosure, Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada has partial ownership in Simpill Health Group Inc.
4The smoking cessation program is available to plan members living in Quebec. Intake and enrollment in the smoking cessation program is not supported by Lumino Health Pharmacy.