Mary Curtis,
CVHC Respiratory Therapist, is helping coordinate the Tobacco Free Campus
program at both Clearwater Valley and St. Mary’s Hospitals and Clinics, which
will go into effect on June 1.
Hospital campuses
go tobacco free on June 1
St. Mary’s and
“Many, if not most,
health care facilities across the state and across the nation do not allow
tobacco use on their campuses because it is a health and safety issue,” said
Mary Curtis, CVHC Respiratory Therapist. “We have allowed our patients and
employees to smoke in designated areas further than 20 feet from our entrances,
as the state law allows, but it creates a hazard. We are offering tobacco
cessation classes for our employees. Classes are also offered through each
health department office for area residents interested in quitting.”
The health care
providers will work with their patients to discuss alternatives such as nicotine
replacement therapies when inpatients are admitted to the facility. Smoking in
cars in the parking lot or elsewhere on campus will not be allowed. There will
be no designated smoking areas on any campus affiliated with SMHC or CVHC. The
campuses will have outdoor signs designating the area as a tobacco free zone and
signs within the buildings will remind people that no tobacco use is permitted.
“We anticipate our
patients and visitors will understand our reasons for implementing our tobacco
free policy. We are concerned with the health and well being of our patients and
staff. Protecting everyone from the effects of second hand smoke is one of many
reasons for adopting the new policy,” said Faunda Butler, SMHC Respiratory
Therapist.
Both