University Hospital is looking to snuff out tobacco on its grounds. And that has some dreaming of a city where tobacco is prohibited.
University informed its employees Wednesday that the hospital and all of its affiliated grounds and buildings would go tobacco-free, starting with the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout day, which is Nov. 20. The move had been under serious discussion for a couple of months, and hospital leaders met with a group of smokers to find out the best way to approach it, said Rick Roche, the vice president of human resources.
"Obviously for us, we want to do it in the most thoughtful way for patients and visitors and employees," he said. "We don't want to hit them over the head with it."
But under the University ban, employees would be asked not to go to adjacent properties to smoke, Mr. Roche said.
"What we're asking is that we be good neighbors and that our employees don't walk across the street to somebody else's property and smoke on their property," he said.
The Medical College of Georgia went tobacco-free in November, but smokers still can be seen across the street from the campus, a scene University would like to avoid.
Aiken Regional Medical Centers and all of its properties have been "tobacco-free inside and out" since April 2007, said Melissa Summer, the director of marketing and public relations.
Trinity Hospital of Augusta is not tobacco-free, but "it's been a topic of discussion," said spokeswoman Rachel McKie. Doctors Hospital does not currently have plans to go tobacco-free, said community relations manager Anne Cordeiro.
University is planning to give its employees an incentive to quit -- paying co-pays for medications and offering $50 for those who go tobacco-free for six months, $100 for a year, Mr. Roche said.
Nurse manager Phyllis Siverhus quit smoking two years ago but started back after her mother died about a year later. She is planning to quit again in the next two weeks.
"I've already started taking Chantix," a smoking-cessation medication, she said. "I knew this was coming. It's one of the reasons I quit two years ago."
MCG enrolled 120 of its smokers in a free six-week course of treatment, and 106 completed it, said Janie Heath, the director of operations for the smoking-cessation clinic.
"That's huge," she said. That University next door will now soon be another tobacco-free zone had Dr. Heath thinking even bigger.
"I hope we'll be able to have a health community that is totally committed to this where all of our hospitals would champion this cause, so that we can all look at how we can reduce illness and improve health and serve as role models for our community, state and country," she said.
And maybe even beyond that.
"Maybe we'll start seeing a citywide movement on this," Dr. Heath said. "It would just be absolutely phenomenal and wonderful."
Reach Tom Corwin at (706) 823-3213 or tom.corwin@augustachronicle.com.
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Rapidly becoming a police state. I'm not even a smoker and I think this is wrong.
careful people.....after this they will require everyone to walk around with a mason jar to catch your farts.
You might as well ask heroine addicts to quit cold turkey as ask a smoker to give up their "right" to fill the air with tobacco smoke when ever and where ever they want. (to the vast majority of smokers, no one else has "rights")
Certain brands of perfume is offensive to me. It plays havoc with my sinus. I guess perfume will not kill me like second hand smoke but the headach, sneezing and stuffness feels like it will. Doctors Hospital might need to look into obtaining more employees to take care of all the smokers.
Get off the police state statements. You can smoke all you want on your own property, just don't expect me to breathe it in public places. I smoked a pack to two packs a day for thirty years and had no idea how offensive it was until I quit, and I quit cold turkey.
Most smokers ignore signs posted "no smoking", and skip designated areas for smoking to come stand right in your face to do it. I think it's rude and offensive to think you don't have to follow the rules like everyone else. I don't want to inhale your secondhand smoke, and most importantly I don't want my kids to inhale it.
St. Patricia, you are wrong. With such a push on not smoking in most places, smokers as a whole are much more considerate of others than in years past. I know, because I am one. Even if travelling in my own vehicle with co-workers, I do not smoke because they do not. If being perfect was a crime, I guess you would be in jail.
Well I have no problem with any of them having a designated smoking area, I just wish someone at Doctors Hospital had the common sense to move it from in front of the front door to somewhere out of line with it. You have to walk past and through all the smoke and people who stand on the steps smoking blocking the way for everyone coming in or going out! Someone with an advanced degree must have made the decision to put it there, because a person with common sense would have foreseen this becoming a problem!
"getagrip" I could not agree with you more. As for "ColdBeerBoiledPeanuts" the smoking area @ Doctors Hospital is located in the back of the hospital the "people" you see standing by the "front Door" are the patients and family members!
rbk, what do you consider public places???? Didn't you read the headline, "has some dreaming of a smoke free city"? Sounds as if some don't want you smoking on your own property! Police state? Don't think it is too far fetched!
giveyouabreak you are correct and the front door area is a hospital designated smoking area also. A little forethought should have foreseen that!
One day someone will lament, When they came for the SMOKERS I did not stand up because I was not a smoker. When they came for the drinkers I did not stand up because I was not a drinker. Then they came for people who enjoy salty foods....and I had no one to stand up for me.
Why did it take a hospital this long to implement this policy? Surely after MCG started it's program, everyone should have expected this. You can almost bet that the rest of the hospitals will be following suit.
I am a former smoker and have to agree, I did not know how offensive it was to others until I quit and now I hate to smell it in front of restaurants or businesses when people stand by the front entrance and smoke. BUT....individuals that choose to smoke have rights also and if a designated area away (and I don't mean in the front door) from the building is sectioned off for smokers then I don't understand banning smoking on all their property. I can't help but think it's bad enough having to stay in the hospital but will be even worse with a bunch of grouchy nicotine withdrawling nurses attending to you :) :)
Smoking outdoors isn't hurting anyone but the smoker, you are not going to get exposed to second hand smoke outdoors, you may smell it but you are not getting enough in you to hurt you, effects of second hand smoke comes from long term exposure.......but as usual you have people who take everything to the extremes. it is a matter of people rights being slowly stripped away. If the government and all it's glorified agencies are really so concerned about tobacco why don't they just shut down big tobacco? but we all know that will never happen, it brings in to much revenue......what hippocrits they all are....I agree that there should be smoking areas away from the doors leading in and out of public buildings but to say you can't smoke outside at all is ridiculous.....it is a matter of peoples rights being slowly stripped away, just wait until they start taking some rights away from non smokers, then the arguing will really start.
I think we should also ban obese people, especially from riding the elevator.
Shivas are you stupid? Are you worried that you will catch it? If you don't like it, there are stairs you can climb... what is this world comming to?
This place is so judgmental? You should have more respect for your self than to even say something like that!
This is definately overreaching - they won't let employees smoke on their property and also want to insist they don't go elsewhere to smoke? If you've been in a hospital emergency room lately - you're familiar with all the work related tasks that employees don't do - I'd feel a whole lot better if they focused on patient care instead of social engineering.
baa...baa....baa.......
Smoking and obesity are 2 helath-related issues that are the cause of soaring healthcare costs. These 2 issues can be controlled by the individuals they directly affect, yet I can do nothing about their behavior that leads my healthcare expenses to rise. I agree with the State of Alabama that is charging more for health insurance for obese people. They can have their surcharge removed by participating in a free wellness program. Removing smoking from the grounds of a hospital is like saying there is no drinking at the AA meeting. It makes perfect sense to not sponser behavior that is crushing the healthcare industry of this nation. Stop smoking and get lean!!!
Because if you don't shivas and his liberal left cronies will make you, right shiv?????
Shivas, you are a real piece of work. You neo-nazi jag-off!! Keep your stupid comments to yourself.
What In the hell does this have to do with Liberals or Conservatives? Some people will play politics with anything.
I would hope MCG would not renew McDonalds lease if they "can all look at how we can reduce illness and improve health and serve as role models for our community, state and country," I think not Phyllis. This smoking ban all comes down to lowering health care insurance in these cases. That's why you wont see any smoking areas. Which is a good cause but they should focus on the real problem - obesity. They should ban obese people to! They have even more health related problems. Oh but calling someone FAT is rude and they can't do that. I think there should be a policy where fat people have to walk around campus with a tag showing how many pounds overweight they are. That way maybe they will loose some weight and bring down my health insurance costs.
Good for University Hospital. They own the property and can can regulate it's use any way they choose.
When was the last time someone died from second hand Big Mc disease? What about inhaling a McGriddle?
So, now I know Memphis is not only ignorant and afraid of culture, he is also a obese smoker. What an image. Feeding your children until they are obese is as abusive as smoking around them during childhood. For once, I agree with Jack. Hey Memphis, I hear they have a special on double bacon cheeseburgers at Burger King today!!!!
Sorry Shiv, I don't smoke and I am 5"10" and weigh 185. If that is obese, so be it, how bout yo azz, bro?
Just an ex-Harrisburg white-boy, who grew-up smoking from age 6, but who will be running the Atlanta half-marathon this Thanksgiving at the age of 45.
I agree with jack, if you own the property, you should be able to do with it what you want. My problem like peterpratts is when they start talking about a smoke fee city. That means YOUR OWN property.