To mark this year’s 33rd anniversary of the Great American
Smokeout, all northern hospitals, health facilities
and offices of the Saint Barnabas Health Care
System will become smoke-free campus wide on
November 19, 2009.
The campuses that will become smoke-free include
Clara Maass Medical Center, Livingston Services, Newark Beth Israel
Medical Center, Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center, Saint Barnabas
Corporate Center, Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center,
Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Saint Barnabas Nursing and Rehabilitation
Centers, Saint Barnabas Outpatient Centers and all Saint Barnabas
Health Care System facilities and property in northern New Jersey.
Connie Greene, vice president of the Saint
Barnabas Health Care System’s Institute for Prevention, believes
that going smoke-free on all campuses not only
promotes good health and a healthy environment,
but is essential to foster the sense of health
and healing that exists at hospitals and health care facilities.
“The Saint Barnabas Health Care System is committed to creating and maintaining
a healthy workplace for all patients and their families, employees, and physicians.
Becoming a tobacco-free workplace is a critical part of that commitment,” said
Ms. Greene.
Last November, the southern Saint Barnabas Health Care
System facilities became smoke-free and this year, the northern facilities
will continue the goal of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System in making the
entire System smoke-free.”
This initiative will mean that smoking is prohibited
both indoors and outdoors on all properties
owned and operated by the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, including
parking areas. Therefore, an important component of the smoke-free
campus initiative is helping employees, patients and family members
quit the habit for good.
“We are offering tobacco treatment through our Tobacco Dependence Treatment
Program to both employees and the public,” she said. “Employees
can take advantage of quit meetings offered at each location with flexible
times to accommodate different shifts. Treatment services are also available
to the public through a comprehensive eight-week program.”
The Tobacco Dependence Treatment Program is
funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department
of Health & Senior
Services Office of Epidemiology. It is the
only program in the region funded by the state to help people quit smoking.
The program consists of individual tobacco
assessments for every participant. After the
assessment, participants work with a Tobacco
Treatment Specialist to create a treatment plan best suited to that individual’s
needs, including the eight-week quit program.
Leading up to November 19, the System will
provide education and information to families
and patients during pre-registration and upon
registration clearly stating the no-smoking
on campus policy. Ms. Greene said, “We
will also give our staff tools and educational
materials to help remind fellow employees,
visitors and patients to observe our policy.”
Patients will be able to request Nicotine Replacement
Therapy to assist with their comfort while
they are hospitalized.
“We know quitting smoking is a difficult thing to do,” Ms. Greene
said. “But we have established a comprehensive program for patients,
employees and visitors to our facility to help beat their addiction to nicotine.
We acknowledge that going smoke-free on our campuses will be an adjustment
for everyone, but in the end, it’s just the right thing to do.”
For more information on the Tobacco Dependence
Treatment Program, call 973-926-7978, email smokefree@sbhcs.com,
or visit www.instituteforprevention.com.
The New Jersey Tobacco-Free Hospital Campus Collaborative is a
coalition of more than 20 hospitals and health systems across the
state. These systems, through a partnership with the American
Cancer Society, are committed to working together to create a healthier
environment for their patients, employees and visitors by eliminating
the use of all tobacco products throughout their entire campus.
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