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EDITORIAL: Health-Care Properties Should Be Smoke Free

Posted on: Thursday, 22 December 2005, 15:00 CST

By The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill., The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

Dec. 22--Illinois health-care organizations -- those in Central Illinois in particular -- should not allow smoking on their premises. They should be leading the fight against what is called the leading preventable cause of death -- smoking.

A ban would be an unpopular decision with some employees and patients, but all of the efforts going into smoking-cessation programs at health-care facilities go for naught when people see employees lighting up. Their commitment to personal health has to be questioned.

Even the two major Bloomington-Normal institutions devoted to health care -- OSF St. Joseph Medical Center and BroMenn Regional Medical Center -- have designated smoking areas for employees outside and away from public entrances.

The hospitals obviously recognize the negative public perception of employees smoking. BroMenn officials have discussed a smoke-free campus, but fear such a directive might send smoking employees into the surrounding residential neighborhood.

Hospitals should lead the way to set a good example for all other health-care offices in the area. All other businesses would be wise to consider banning smoking on their premises, too. The Pantagraph plans to do so.

Hospitals couldn't be considered callous by going to non-smoking campuses because they do offer employees smoking-cessation and healthy-lifestyle programs.

Employees who smoke might grumble about smoke-free campuses, but they can be thankful they aren't employed by the World Health Organization, which recently became the largest international employer to ban the hiring of smokers. The WHO decided it needed to become more concerned about its employees and set an example for other health-care agencies to follow.

Smoking is becoming a major issue in all workplaces because of smoking-related health issues and lost productivity from missed work and "smoking breaks."

The Institute of Health Studies at the University of California has estimated that smoking causes about $50 billion a year in medical costs and a like amount in lost wages. It lists smoking as the leading preventable cause of death.

The noose seems to be drawing tighter and tighter around smoking, so we believe health-care workers should be role models.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

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