by Paul Andrews on 2015-01-08
With the new year comes a new policy at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center: no tobacco use of any kind will be tolerated at the medical center.
As of Jan. 2, ARMC has enforced a tobacco-free initiative that has been implemented throughout the hospital's entire campus, including parking lots, sidewalks and streets. The new policy prohibits tobacco use of any kind, including the use of e-cigarettes, and applies to employees, volunteers, students, patients, visitors, vendors, contractors and other visitors to the hospital.
The new policy is an extension of the hospital's "commitment to creating a healthy environment," according to ARMC Director William T. Foley.
"We are in the business of providing quality health care and have a special responsibility to take a leadership role on this major health issue. As health care professionals we are committed to setting a positive example in the community," Foley said.
The tobacco-free policy goes into effect just two months after it was approved by San Bernardino County's Board of Supervisors in November. A task force was created to help the medical center plan and implement the new policy.
According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 443,000 deaths occur each year due to cigarette smoking, with 49,000 of those deaths due to exposure to secondhand smoke.
The National Cancer Institute shares that smoking has been found to cause several types of cancer including throat, mouth, nasal cavity, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder and cervical cancers, as well as acute myeloid lukemia.
Data recovered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that as of 2011, the most current year for which data is available, 13.7 percent of adults ages 18 and over in California currently smoke cigarettes, ranking second in all 50 states for the lowest percentage of adult smokers. Adults who use smokeless tobacco methods in California was 1.4 percent, the lowest percentage of e-cigarette adult users in all 50 states.
According to the CDC, smokers die an average of 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.
California's non-smoking law, AB-13, passed in 1995, prohibits smoking in places of employment where there are six or more employees or there are not designated public smoking areas, with some exceptions.
Additionally, ARMC hosts smoking cessation classes and other resources to help tobacco users kick the habit.
The hospital's Quit Clinic can be reached at 909-580-6167. You may also visit ARMC's website at www.arrowheadmedcenter.org and click on the "Let's Clear the Air" link for more information.
[END]
ORIGINAL PR:
As part of its commitment to creating a healthy environment for patients, visitors and employees, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) becomes tobacco free Jan. 2, 2015. The tobacco-free initiative will be implemented throughout the entire campus including parking lots, sidewalks, and streets.
The policy prohibits tobacco use of any kind as well as e-cigarettes, and will apply to employees, volunteers, students, patients, visitors, vendors, contractors and other individuals who visit the hospital campus.
“We are in the business of providing quality health care and have a special responsibility to take a leadership role on this major health issue,” said ARMC Director, William T. Foley. “As health care professionals we are committed to setting a positive example in the community.”
The County of San Bernardino Board of Supervisors approved the non-smoking ordinance in November, and a task force was created at ARMC to help plan and implement the new tobacco-free policy.
Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than five million deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.
Kicking the habit can be challenging, but ARMC has smoking cessation classes and other resources already in place. Call the hospital’s Quit Clinic at 909-580-6167, or visit ARMC’s website at www.arrowheadmedcenter.org and click on the “Let’s Clear the Air” link to learn more about what you can do to be tobacco free.
Together let’s clear the air!
ARMC, a university-affiliated teaching hospital, is a state-of-the-art acute care facility with a full range of inpatient and outpatient services including a Level II trauma center, mobile medical clinic, primary stroke center, and a regional burn center. For more information about ARMC, go to: www.arrowheadmedcenter.org.