Free stop smoking app enabled in Birmingham

Quit with Bella is a mobile app that includes: Bella, your personal stop smoking robo-coach, Bella Community, a community of users supporting each other to be smoke free, and free* NRT/E-cig provision with local pharmacy integration. 

Quit with Bella has been built on a decade worth of stop smoking service delivery expertise, the NCSCT & NICE evidence guidelines, insights from 200+ stop smoking experts, and service user feedback to provide an expert and engaging service. It has already supported thousands of people to give up smoking around the world and has been rolled out in other towns and cities across the UK.

Smoking damages your lungs and weakens your immune system, increasing your risk of developing life-threatening complications from COVID 19. Now, if you’re in Birmingham, you can get free support for smoking cessation wherever you are, whenever you want.

Smoking attributable deaths account for around half of all deaths across Birmingham each year. That is a sobering statistic for the people of Birmingham. What impact could that be having on our local services and NHS? Both now, during the coming winter months and over the coming years?

COVID-19 has presented many challenges for all of us, but Birmingham City Council are committed to helping to take care of the local community by offering the Quit with Bella app, available on all smart phones.

Dr Justin Varney, Director of Public Health for Birmingham City Council, said “Tobacco smoking is a known risk factor for many respiratory infections and increases the severity of respiratory diseases, meaning that smokers are at higher risk of the impact of coronavirus being significantly worse.

“Stopping smoking remains the single most effective thing people can do to improve their and their family’s health both now and in the future. From the moment you stop smoking, your body starts to heal itself which will increase your ability to fight off various illness and diseases, as well elevating heart rate and helping blood pressure to drop.

If you are going to give up smoking, now more than ever is a very good moment to do it.”

Leena Sankla, Director of Public Health for Solutions 4 Health, said: “I’m delighted that Quit with Bella will be made available for free to the population of Birmingham to support smokers in giving up. Quit with Bella was created to provide an on-demand, evidence based smoking cessation service at scale, and it’s been helping smokers from diverse communities with dynamic needs to make the best decision of their life by quitting smoking. We look forward to the people of Birmingham being supported by Quit with Bella so they can live their best smoke free life.

Now, more than ever, is a great time to stop smoking and Quit with Bella is here to help, there are no waiting times, doesn’t require you to take hours out of your day and offers personalised support whenever and wherever you want”

You’ll find Quit with Bella on the App Store and on Google Play – and don’t forget if you’re a Birmingham City resident, it’s completely FREE!

IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quit-with-bella/id1328877265?mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bella.Solutions4Health&hl=en_US

Website: https://www.quitwithbella.com/