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As part of a smoke free initiative, members of West Virginia University Hospitals and University Health Associates Clinics gathered to remove the last smoker’s booth on the Health Sciences Campus.
The removal of the booth coincided with the Great American Smokeout and when WVU Healthcare and Health Sciences, Monongalia Health System and HealthSouth MountainView Regional Rehabilitation Hospital went smoke free.
It is the obligation of the hospital to promote a healthy atmosphere for the community, said Dr. Gary Marano, interim president and CEO of University Health Associates.
"The statement we are making today emphasizes our commitment," he said. "This is part of our obligation to wellness and good health. We are deliverers of healthcare, and that’s our message."
The hospital is available to help employees quit smoking with cessation programs and resources like nicotine supplements, Marano said.
Changes to the hospital’s smoking policy can serve as an example for the entire campus, said Christopher Colenda, chancellor for WVU Health Sciences.
The HSC building has been smoke free for many years, he said.
"With the changes that are going on at the hospital it’s time for us to take the leadership position and make the entire campus smoke free," he said. "We need to make an important statement on the health for our students as well as our patients."
Colenda plans to present information on a smoke-free campus during the next WVU Board of Governors meeting.
Before the booth was removed, it served as the only place for Hospital and UHA employees to smoke during breaks or lunches, said Sherri Dezzutti, business manager for the Laborers International Union of North America Local 814 and materials management worker.
"I think this is just more of our rights being taken away. We don’t hurt anybody when we are on our breaks and lunches outside," she said.
"The communism in this country has gone too far to tell us what we can and can’t do on our breaks."
Dezzutti said the hospital does not monitor the obesity or diabetes rates of their employees, so they should not worry about them smoking.
Walking to the HSC or her car is where Dezzuitt will have to smoke since the booth is gone, she said.
The Hospital and UHA gave plenty of notice to its employees before going smoke free, said Jessica Walters, director of Ambulatory Operations for UHA.
As a non-smoker she is happy with the change, she said.
"Everybody needs to be living a positive and healthy life," she said. "They will be very proactive by not allowing anyone to smoke, and security will be going around."
The hospital is not telling its employees they cannot smoke, but they are saying they cannot smoke in the hospital area, said Bruce McClymonds, president and CEO of WVU Hospitals.
"Second-hand smoke is a serious issue in this country, and tobacco related deaths are significant," he said.
"We are a health care organization, and we want to reinforce that this change is for everybody’s good health."
7 comments
the smoking booth was enclosed fyi.
Just because "almost all" hospitals have something doesn't mean it applies to every worker of that hospital.
- No one is saying you can't smoke, you just have to take a nice little walk to do so....Dezzutti said the hospital does not monitor the obesity or diabetes rates of their employees, so they should not worry about them smoking.- Are you kidding me? Almost all hospitals have employee wellness where they are required to keep track of their employees risk factors for heart disease, with obesity being one of them.