Hospitals Go Smoke-Free Inside And Out

ROCKY HILL — The American Cancer Society recognized the Hospital of Saint Raphael, Norwalk Hospital, Saint Mary’s Hospital, and Waterbury Hospital for creating a smoke-free campus environment for employees, physicians, patients, and visitors.  Effective last Thursday, November 19, and coinciding with the American Cancer Society’s 33rd Annual Great American Smokeout, smoking is no longer allowed at any of these facilities — inside or out.

“Connecticut’s acute care hospitals recognize that going completely tobacco and smoke-free inside and out are in the best interest of patients, employees, visitors, and the communities we serve. As a leading cause of cancer and preventable death, tobacco has no place on a hospital campus,” according to Leslie Gianelli from the Connecticut Hospital Association. 

According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco use is responsible for 30 percent of all cancer deaths, including lung, larynx, esophagus, kidney, and bladder, and is the leading preventable cause of death.

“We are pleased to be working with all the CHA member hospitals on their efforts to create a smoke-free campus environment,” said Bryte Johnson, director of government relations for the American Cancer Society. “The effects of secondhand smoke alone causes an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths among healthy nonsmoking American adults each year.”

She said by developing this smoke-free policy, hospital employers illustrate their dedication to improving the health of its employees and its community. The American Cancer Society is providing education to hospital employees on smoking cessation and prevention measures.

“The reasoning for the Great American Smokeout is to encourage smokers to make a plan to quit,” said Patrice Bedrosian, Director of Communications for the Society. 

The American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout grew out of a 1971 event in Randolph, Mass., in which Arthur P. Mullaney asked people to give up cigarettes for a day and donate the money they would have spent on cigarettes to a high school scholarship fund. In 1974, Lynn R. Smith, editor of the Monticello Times in Minnesota, spearheaded the state’s first D-Day, or Don’t Smoke Day. The idea caught on, and on November 18, 1976, the California Division of the American Cancer Society succeeded in getting nearly one million smokers to quit for the day. That California event marked the first Great American Smokeout, which went nationwide the next year.

The Great American Smokeout is part of the American Cancer Society Great American Health Challenge, a year-round initiative that encourages Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce their risk of cancer. More information on the Great American Health Challenge is available at www.cancer.org/greatamericans or by calling 800-ACS-2345.