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5 East Tennessee health systems to go tobacco free for workers in 2011
Categories:
· Health/Science
International:
· USA
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Source:http://www.wate.com/,2010-03-12
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Officials with five East Tennessee hospital systems announced Wednesday they will adopt tobacco free policies for their employees starting January 1, 2011.
The health systems are:
* Blount Memorial Hospital - in Maryville
* Covenant Health - has facilities in Knox County, Loudon County, Anderson County and Roane County
* East Tennessee Children's Hospital - in Knoxville
* Mercy Health Partners - has facilities in Knox County, Campbell County, Jefferson County, Cocke County and Claiborne County
* UT Medical Center - in Knoxville
Currently, the health systems all have designated smoking areas for employees. Officials said these areas will be removed.
The change to tobacco free policies is being done to encourage healthier lifestyles for employees, officials said.
"Blount Memorial Hospital is adopting a tobacco-free workplace policy to provide a healthy and safe environment for employees, patients, and visitors and to promote positive health behaviors," said Joe Dawson, administrator of Blount Memorial Hospital.
"The Knoxville area hospitals are working together on this initiative because the evidence is compelling and the message is clear: A tobacco-free workplace promotes better health, and better health is the shared goal of every hospital in this area," said Anthony Spezia, president and CEO of Covenant Health. "This is a great step forward on behalf of all the healthcare professionals in our area."
Cessation programs are being offered now for employees and they'll receive discounts on cessation products. Once January 1, 2011 arrives, they're expected to abide by the new policy.
"Mercy Health Partners is committed to helping the people of East Tennessee adopt a healthier lifestyle to reduce chronic health problems," said David Jimenez, mercy Health Partners CEO. "As the health systems in Knoxville are among the largest employers in the area, this joint announcement shows that we are serious about attempting to lower the smoking rate in this community."
Officials said they'll encourage employees not to smoke at all, rather than going to their vehicles or leaving campus to do so.
"As a healthcare facility that solely focuses on children, we have an obligation to the patients and families we serve to provide an atmosphere of care that is optimum in every way," said Keith Goodwin, president and CEO of East Tennessee Children's Hospital. "Children's Hospital has been aggressive in the past year expanding wellness initiatives that will make a difference in our employees' health, and our administration believes this smoke-free policy for employees is a key to wellness for every man, woman and child that visits, is treated at or works in our facility."
The officials wouldn't say if employees would be dismissed for continuing to use tobacco products, only that they expect them to abide by the new policy.
"We recognize the issues and challenges involving the use of tobacco in this community and believe that implementing a tobacco-free workplace policy for the area's hospitals is a great step toward promoting healthy lifestyles and encouraging smoking cessation," said Joseph Landsman, Jr., president and CEO of The University of Tennessee Medical Center."
6 News smoke to a surgical technologist, Carol Smith, who said she welcomes the change.
"I think it's good because it's going to help me quit. I really want to quit and just knowing that I can come down and smoke a cigarette sometimes makes it easier to keep going. But, I'm looking forward to it. I wish it was actually going to happen sooner, but I plan to be done within the next two months," Smith said.
Covenant Health will be the first in the area to have a smoke free campus.
LeConte Medical Center, set to open in February in Sevier County, will be totally smoke free for everyone.
The health systems may adopt tobacco free campus policies in the future, according to officials, although they wouldn't name any time frames. |
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