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Posted November 2005

Smoke-free Campus Initiative
Frequently Asked Questions

As your institution transitions to a totally smoke-free campus over the next one year, representatives of your hospital, including employees and management, may receive a variety of inquiries about the initiative. Use the following questions to assist in developing comprehensive responses, as well as to provide a framework for drafting talking points, news releases, newsletter articles, internal training documents and other communications materials.

Q: Why is banning smoking everywhere suddenly a priority for so many organizations and businesses, including hospitals?

A: Smoking kills people. Secondhand smoke, also called environmental tobacco smoke contains at least 250 chemicals known to be toxic or cause cancer and heart disease. It is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning ends of a cigarette, pipe, cigar, bidis, and kreteks (sidestream smoke) and the smoke emitted at the mouthpiece and exhaled from the lungs of smokers (mainstream smoke). Unfortunately, the general public’s exposure to secondhand smoke is much higher than most people realize. More than 53,000 lives are lost each year in the U.S. due to secondhand smoke exposure.

In January 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched Healthy People 2010, a comprehensive, nationwide health promotion and disease prevention agenda. Healthy People 2010 contains 467 objectives designed to serve as a roadmap for improving the health of all people in the United States during the first decade of the 21st century. Several of these objectives relate to tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. One objective is to reduce nonsmoker exposure to secondhand smoke from 65% to 45% nationwide by 2010.

Q : Why did [insert hospital name] decide to become smoke-free?

A : Hospitals are a vital and central part of a healthy community. As health care institutions, hospitals share and model healthy behaviors for their communities. Implementation of a smoke-free environment sends a clear message of the commitment to create and sustain healthy communities. Additionally, a smoke-free campus encourages both employees and patients to stop using tobacco.

As a leading health care facility, [insert hospital name] has initiated a one-year campaign to eliminate smoking from the health care environment. This decision supports the hospital’s commitment to modeling a place of wellness and prevention, as well as treatment, for patients, employees and visitors.

Q. Why was smoking selected versus other health risks?

A: Many people are not aware of how smoking impacts health care and recovery. By making our environment smoke-free, we are addressing one of the main health risks today.

• Smoking is the number one reason for avoidable illness and death.
• Over 440,000 people die each year from smoking related diseases – more than all alcohol, cocaine, crack, heroin, homicide, suicide, car crash, fire, and AIDS deaths combined.
• Smoking is a factor in heart disease, cancer, stroke, and lung disease.
• Smoking costs the U. S. nearly $150 billion each year in health care and other expenses.
• Patients who smoke regularly before surgery have twice the risk of infection as nonsmokers.
• Smoking slows healing after surgery.
• A smoker’s broken bones take almost twice as long to heal as a non-smoker’s.

Q. Who does the policy apply to?

A. All persons, including, employees, faculty, students, patients, visitors, contractors, subcontractors, and others in [enter hospital name] buildings, parking lots and ramps.

Q. Will we still have designated smoking shelters (pits, huts) for employees, patients, and visitors?

A. Providing a place to smoke does not support our goal to create a healthier environment for our patients, families, employees, and visitors.

Q. How will the smoking cessation policy be implemented?

The hospital will have a phased approach which allows employees to smoke in designated outdoor areas for a period of [enter number] months. [Provide detail on plan timeline regarding outdoor shelters, etc.].

Q. How is the policy enforced?

A. Human Resources, Communications/Marketing and Public Safety [enter other departments as appropriate] are collaborating with hospital leadership to consistently enforce the smoke-free campus policy.

Standard procedures to monitor compliance and violations will be in effect within all hospital buildings and around the campus. Violations will result in progressive disciplinary actions, including termination for employees.

All employees who see patients and visitors smoking on the property should be courteous in informing them of the smoke-free policy.

Q. How does this policy support our commitment to patients and families, who may rely on smoking to relieve the stress of being in the hospital?

A. Smoking cessation resources will be available to assist patients and family members when they are here. Patients and families have access to counselors if they wish to work toward quitting smoking and/or help make their stay or visit more tolerable. Smoking is not allowed on the hospital campus but smoking is permitted on the sidewalks outside the hospital grounds. [Provide additional detail as available.

Family members of patients who are admitted into certain areas of the hospital [enter examples] will be given pagers when they leave the campus to smoke. The pages will alert them if there is an emergency and they need to return.

Q : Are there resources to help employees with the transition?

A: A wealth of resources are available on the hospital Intranet [include Web address], including both materials to help communicate the new policy to patients and visitors and information to help employees in their own efforts to stop smoking. Educational programs will help train staff on the new policy. Special cessation programs will also be provided for employees. Nicotine substitutes, such as gum, patch and lozenges, are available in the Gift Shop and/or through quit smoking counselors.

Q. How does the quit tobacco program work?

A. The hospital hosts several cessation programs to assist those who wish to quit smoking. There are group sessions, as well as individual counseling sessions. [Provide contact information and additional details for programs.] Employees interested in quitting smoking or handling cravings to smoke during work hours will be given [list provisions; for example, access to free Nicotine Replacement Therapy for a six-week period].

Q : What happens to employees who do not stop smoking by November 2006?

A : Employees are not required to quit smoking. However, they will not be permitted to smoke anywhere on the hospital campus after November 2006. Similar to the regulations in the restaurant and air travel industries, employees will need to find a way to manage their need for nicotine in ways that do not involve smoking during the work day.

Q: What if an employee does not want to quit smoking?

A: The hospital’s policy is not meant to force anyone to quit smoking. The policy has two goals:

• to remove smoking from the hospital property so we can support those who are trying to quit smoking while they are on hospital grounds and
• to make a clear statement that good health and health care do not include the use of tobacco.

Q: Where is smoking permitted?

A: Smoking is allowed outside the hospital’s smoke-free border. A map of smoke-free areas is available at any information or help desk. [Refine response per hospital’s policy.]

If you have any questions about the Smoke-Free Campus Initiative or the tool kit materials, please feel free to contact Gary L. Drain, Human Resources, at 312-906-6026 or Liz Leonard, Public Affairs, at 312-906-6142.

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