WAR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL IMPLEMENTS TOBACCO-FREE CAMPUS POLICY
October 6, 2008
Beginning November 20, in conjunction with the Great American Smokeout, Morgan County War Memorial Hospital will be going tobacco-free at all of its facilities and premises. With this initiative, the use of tobacco products will be prohibited, inside or outside, on hospital properties.
War Memorial Hospital will be joining many hospitals across West Virginia, including several hospitals that have already undertaken the tobacco-free campus initiative, to make their environments a healthier and safer place for their patients, staff and visitors. This initiative will include the elimination of designated areas outside of the facilities where employees, patients, and visitors are currently permitted to use tobacco products. War Memorial has had a tobacco-free policy inside the facility since 1990.
As the largest healthcare organization in Morgan County, War Memorial has the responsibility to take a leadership role on this major health issue, said hospital President John Borg.
mplementing a tobacco-free campus supports our mission and commitment to the health and safety of our patients and staff, he said. “While we recognize that some may find our position to be unpopular or an inconvenience, we believe it is the right thing to do for the health of the community,” he added.
West Virginia has the second highest rate of smoking in the nation, with 25.4 percent of adults who smoke. On average, 11 West Virginians die each day from smoking, and according to the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, direct healthcare costs of smoking in West Virginia are currently estimated at more than $1 billion annually.
War Memorial Hospital’s decision to go tobacco-free is not an attempt to force anyone to quit smoking or stop using tobacco products, stressed Borg. “We hope the community will support us in our tobacco-free initiative. We encourage other businesses to join us in this effort,” he said. “It’s a way for us to demonstrate our commitment to healthy living.”
For those individuals wanting to quit the tobacco use habit, War Memorial Hospital will be offering tobacco cessation classes for the public in November.
The state of West Virginia also offers a Tobacco Quitline at 1-877-966-8784 or www.ynotquit.com, which offers educational materials, phone coaching, and nicotine replacement therapy services.