The Institute for Prevention of the St. Barnabas Behavioral Health Network is offering free nicotine patches for the first two weeks of the six-week program for people who sign up and attend the institute’s Quit Program. With a weak economy and the new federal tobacco tax increase bringing the cost of a pack of cigarettes up to $7.50, institute officials maintain that now is a great time to quit smoking. The on-site tobacco treatment program is modeled after the Mayo Clinic’s. Seventy percent of all smokers desire to quit, but only 3 percent are successful on their own, according to the Surgeon General’s report. Research shows that smokers who use quit services are 10 times more likely to quit smoking than those who try to do it on their own, according to New Jersey QuitNet. Quit support group meetings are held weekly for six weeks with a certified tobacco treatment specialist. In Ocean County, the meetings start at 7 p.m. July 21 at Kimball Medical Center’s Center for Healthy Living, 198 Prospect St., Lakewood. Read full APP article here.