Cleveland Clinic will not Hire Smokers

The jury is still out on my opinion, but for the sake of debate, smoking differs from the above mentioned health problems in significant ways.

Obesity can have many causes and pinning those down and isolating which ones the employee can control is simply not practical.

Driving without a seat belt and speeding can't be monitored by the hospital directly. Neither can unprotected sex with strangers.

Smoking is something that hospital can test for.

There are healthy ways to eat, but not healthy ways to smoke. It's a "you do" or "you don't" proposition.

Earlier in this thread, someone mentioned that they work for CCH. I'd be interested in hearing what the reaction is among the current employees.

Pulling DMV and health records is a bit more complicated than having an employee submit to a test handled by the hospital. Neither DMV records nor health records are as "cut and dried" as a simple pass/fail blood test. Health records, especially, would be much harder to access and would be far more subject to interpretation. An STD could have been acquired from a spouse who is the one engaging in risky behavior. Compared to the administration of a blood test with objective results, the other two ideas are more complex and less likely.

So.......what Miranda? What's your point? Because it's easier to go after smokers or identify them then that makes it okay? I know you didn't say that, but what is your point exactly?

As a current employee for CCF, I don't think many employees are too concerned. Right now, our campus is smoke free, meaning any property that CCF owns, including the parking garages, you are not allowed to smoke. Now, that really is not enforced (unfortunately), but the current employees are not going to have any ramifications if they continue to smoke, other than the threat of being caught too many times and possibly being fired for not following policy. This new policy only effects new hires from here on out. The clinic does supply smoking cessation classes and nicotine patches for current employees and I believe will continue to provide them for new hires that test positive for nicotine.

I have 3 problems with this:

First of all, the CC should be enforcing their own existing policy of no smoking on hospital grounds. Why develop a more extensive and punitive policy against employing smokers when they don't enforce the existing one?

If the CC is only going to enforce this policy on new hires, then they are definitely discriminating. How can they "turn their heads" away from evidence of smoking in a current employee, yet refuse to hire a new employee who engages in the same legal behavior?

Thirdly, you state that the CC will provide nicotine patches for smoking employees. Then how can they possibly pass a drug test for nicotine?

I have 3 problems with this:

First of all, the CC should be enforcing their own existing policy of no smoking on hospital grounds. Why develop a more extensive and punitive policy against employing smokers when they don't enforce the existing one?

If the CC is only going to enforce this policy on new hires, then they are definitely discriminating. How can they "turn their heads" away from evidence of smoking in a current employee, yet refuse to hire a new employee who engages in the same legal behavior?

Thirdly, you state that the CC will provide nicotine patches for smoking employees. Then how can they possibly pass a drug test for nicotine?

the chemicals used in hospitals, or the wax remover and wax itself used on the floors that are enough to send even the healthiest person into a full blown asthma attack.

Oh, wow, you mean they were smoking in the patients rooms, or the hallways or what? How were the smokers endangering their patients?
By carrying an unpleasent odor?

Smoking is dangerous to your health, no one should smoke. But it is still legal, and if someone wants to do it they should not have their employment endangered as long as they are not endangering others.

Come on, with the intent of "we're modeling what we think is appropriate healthy behavior." the next thing is to not hire overweight people, or those who drink alcohol.

This is simply another example of the steady erosion of personal rights in this country. The liberal left seems to always know what is better for others and to force that on the population as a whole.

Let me take care of myself in my personal life, if what I do is endangering others than put a stop to it, but if it is only myself than that is my right in this country to do so.

It is difficult to have a conversation with someone who wants all factors to play into their point of view but only designated ones to play into anyone else's.