|
6 months to tobacco-free campus at BCH
HOT SPRINGS - In an effort to provide a healthy environment for hospital employees, patients and visitors, Bath Community Hospital will become a tobacco free campus beginning March 20, 2008. Bath Community Hospital joins healthcare facilities and other businesses throughout the nation to ban cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products on hospital properties, including parking lots and private vehicles parked in the lots.
"As a health care provider our No. 1 concern is for the health, safety, and well being of our residents," says Debbie Lipes, CEO. "It's difficult to ignore the negative impact of tobacco use which remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease."
Tobacco use is responsible for about one out of every five deaths each year in the United States and 5 million deaths worldwide. And although all tobacco use causes disease, smoking takes the lion's share of the blame, causing heart disease, stroke, cancers, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., and 90 percent of lung cancers are caused by smoking.
"The statistics are just staggering," says Becky Armstrong, com- munity services director and committee chairman for the tobaccofree campus campaign. "We hope our new policy will encourage tobacco users to embrace a smoking cessation program."
"Helping our employees is an especially important goal in becoming a tobacco-free campus, says Lipes. "Studies show that it is more likely that a person will have a successful attempt at quitting if their employer enacts a tobacco free policy."
Not only does tobacco cause health problems, it is also causes health insurance premiums to increase. Many companies are taking a closer look at what needs to be done to decrease their premiums and protect non-smokers from rising health care costs.
Bath Community Hospital has formed an employee tobacco-free committee to include tobacco users to discuss all aspects of the campaign including tobacco cessation programs, emotional support and how to address the community.
"We will make every effort to support our employees,
patients, and visitors by providing them the tools and information needed to
kick the habit," says Lipes.
| 
