PMID: 8583492Jan 1, 1996Paper

Smoking policy and cessation in an inner-city hospital

Journal of the National Medical Association
P MontnerS Green

Abstract

Hospital policies regarding cigarette smoking can affect the smoking habits of employees, patients, and visitors. Successful smoking policy development and impact have been reported in a number of hospitals. These reports have been from financially secure or university hospitals. This article reports on the policy experience at Interfaith Medical Center, a public hospital serving an economically disadvantaged black inner-city community. Policy implementation and smoking cessation efforts were directed by a broad-based hospital committee. An employee survey demonstrated support for a policy restricting but not banning smoking (89% of nonsmokers, and 80.2% of smokers). Among smoking employees, 87.6% wanted to quit. A policy restricting smoking to designated areas in the cafeteria and coffee shop was enacted. Health fairs and smokeout contests were enthusiastically received and resulted in short-term cessation verified by exhaled carbon monoxide levels. Assemblies where ex-smokers were given "Hall of Fame" certificates, "stop smoking" art contests, and a "stop smoking hotline" generated further cessation activity. The department of medicine, in cooperation with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Smoking Education Prog...Continue Reading

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