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Hospitals are leaders in smoking ban

Posted December 20, 2007 10:00 pm

Dayna Brown

Health organizations shouldn't allow smoking.

That was the thought behind a decision to ban smoking at area hospitals back in July.

Officials knew it would not be popular, but still they forced employees and visitors off campus to light up and prohibited patients from smoking.

Six months later, they say they are surprised at how smooth the transition has been.

"From my perspective, it has been much easier than I anticipated," said Linda Buck, vice president of human resources at Proctor Hospital. "We have not had the employee issues we anticipated, and the visitors and the patients have been quite accommodating."

They were ahead of the curve.

Beginning Jan. 1, the Smoke-Free Illinois Act prohibits smoking in almost all indoor public places in Illinois, as well as within 15 feet of entrances, exits and windows that open.

And now, the hospitals are serving as examples for others.

"I get a call every week from businesses in Peoria asking how we did it," said Linda Moore, total compensation director at Methodist Medical Center.

Moore and Buck both credit good communication for the success.

"We are a health care facility that promotes the wellness of individuals and the community and to support that we can't have smoking on our campus," Buck said. "We have had a few situations where we have to remind people of our tobacco-free environment ... but for the most part, they have been very understanding."

For more than a year before implementing the ban, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Pekin Hospital, Methodist and Proctor discussed the possibility of going smoke-free.

Already prohibited indoors, the decision was made to eliminate all outdoor smoking areas.

Officials intentionally allowed many months between the announcement and implementation. This allowed employees to get comfortable with the idea and stop smoking if they wished, officials said.

Smoking cessation classes were offered, as well as over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Staff has the option of walking off campus during breaks to have a cigarette. But they can't smell like smoke when returning to work.

As far as patients who smoke, they are provided with smoking cessation opportunities, Moore said.

"I do think our success ... had a lot to do with the fact that we did it as a team of hospitals," Moore said. "So I am sure that doing it as a state will help the businesses, because everyone is having to do it."

Dayna Brown can be reached at (309) 686-3255 or dbrown@pjstar.com.

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