Cigarette smoking contributes substantially to the increased financial- and health-related burdens among adults experiencing homelessness. We describe findings from a case study of a model to increase access to cessation services among adults experiencing homelessness. In partnership with Project Homeless Connect (PHC), we piloted a unique service delivery model that involved providing brief cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy to smokers from this population attending large-scale service events in San Francisco, with the goal of connecting them to long-term smoking cessation care. We participated in three service events between October 2017 and March 2018. We offered brief smoking cessation counseling to 45 individuals, and smoking cessation counseling and pharmacotherapy to 7 individuals experiencing homelessness. This model could improve public health if expanded to other cities, particularly the 200 other cities in the United States offering PHC service events.
Keywords: San Francisco; counseling; homeless persons; referral and consultation; tobacco use cessation.