no-smoking policies

mom23RN · Nov 17, 2006

We're going smoke-free as of January 1st also. Another large hospital in the area is already smoke free, and the pts/visitors and staff are actually walking down the street to smoke! It's probably about a quarter of a mile or so away. I guess the ones who can't walk are just using the patch. I'm looking forward to being smoke-free, but I think I might have to call off for a couple of months, lol. I work with several heavy smokers...it's not going to be fun when they're in withdrawal!

At least they're getting some exercise along with it! :roll

I am a smoker but the entire reason that smoking bans have gotten so forceful is that MANY smokers an incosiderate! I cannot believe the number of people who were smoking at the ZOO the other day for their annual trick or treat day. :confused: What is wrong with people??

The other day I pulled into a gas station and one of their employees is standing holding the door open so customers can go in SMOKING!!! :eek: So, had I needed to pay with cash or go inside for someting I would have had to drag my 2 small children through the smoke to get into the store?

That is why people are banning smoking period. My friend said "pretty soon they're going to dictate each thing we can do." Yep... and it's idiots who cause all these bans to be enforced in teh first place. Becuase they can't use common sense now no one can do certain things. Ah well... we'll all live.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Nov 17, 2006

here in the UK all health facilites are non snoking and more and more hospitals are going this route on banning smoking in the grounds for both staff and patients/visitors.

Holly27 · Nov 17, 2006

Well here are the laws just enforced in the past year.

No smoking on any hospital campus in the state.

That's fine they even offer support and patches for the ones who wanted to quit(employees). I have caught a few smoking in rooms. (sensors in the vents). They are so embarrassed about the alarms going off they try only once. plus had one that didn't realize you could get sick smoking and wearing the patch. Well they learned the hard way. Do have a few snuff and dippers.

I don't know about the day shift but at night you either hide in your car or drive across the street to the clinic next door(Some drs own it and they told us we could go over there). The "rule" is you are to clock out for smoke breaks. But why would you clock out for 2 breaks and still get charged for a 30 min lunch that no one ever takes? So it's like your docking yourself double.

Your are very right about inconsiderate smokers being one of the reasons for the laws. I smoke. Yes. But not in the present of children or a large amount of non-smokers. Not at the gas pump and I could keep going on and on.

Other laws that follow were no smoking in restaurants unless it is 21 and up. That includes clubs that 4 out of 7 nights have shows for 21 and up. plus has a family night and so on. (they serve food during the day, all ages). I understand the day thing and family night. But the small club that has been around as long as I can remember is struggling. Losing money. Sure they could change their shows but the bands that play at night are really for adults and afew have got their "BIG" start in showbusiness starting there.

That's is the only thing that sucks about it.

One more law. No smoking in the car with children of corificeat age. I've not seen or heard about this being enforced. But thinking about kids during the winter and rain with a smoking adult having the window cracked 1 inch makes me ill.

They tried another law but didn't pass. To charge pregnant women with abuse if smoking. But heck how are they going to pass a law for that if they can't even charge a woman that had twins addicted to meth and in bad shape!!!!! Reason they say they couldn't was because she didn't actually put it in a bottle and feed it to them! I swear! I could slap some folks sometimes! But no. then I would get charged with something.lol

RN1263 · Nov 17, 2006

I smoke & will be trying to quit AGAIN soon. Ohio just passed the smoke free law (not in effect YET) & the hospital my clinical is at just went no smoking outside. Today at the hospital was miserable! Not only was I crabby, but the other workers who smoke were crabby also. Soooo, I will probably try to quit again....this way it won't be an issue of me being crabby at least.

rach_nc_03 · Nov 17, 2006

At least they're getting some exercise along with it! :roll
I am a smoker but the entire reason that smoking bans have gotten so forceful is that MANY smokers an incosiderate! I cannot believe the number of people who were smoking at the ZOO the other day for their annual trick or treat day. What is wrong with people??
The other day I pulled into a gas station and one of their employees is standing holding the door open so customers can go in SMOKING!!! So, had I needed to pay with cash or go inside for someting I would have had to drag my 2 small children through the smoke to get into the store?
That is why people are banning smoking period. My friend said "pretty soon they're going to dictate each thing we can do." Yep... and it's idiots who cause all these bans to be enforced in teh first place. Becuase they can't use common sense now no one can do certain things. Ah well... we'll all live.

BEST post on this issue I've seen yet. I'm also a smoker, and a considerate one- never smoked while working in patient care (not even before shift, only on the way home in my car). I don't walk up to nonsmoking restaurants and wait until I hit the door to get rid of my cigarette (see a lot of people do that). I'll even go so far as to smoke outside if I have friends over to my house who don't smoke (these are people who've known me for years and know I smoke, so it isn't like it's a surprise- I'm simply trying to be considerate).

The other post about fines for pregnant women smoking- what the....??? What if they're 1st trimester and not showing yet? How would anyone know? Are obese pregnant women going to get fined because of all the various risks to the baby that can cause?

I'm tired of inconsiderate people causing a headache for everyone else. When I have a child, I hope that, if nothing else, I can teach them the importance of personal responsibility.

all4schwa · Nov 18, 2006

I don't know about the day shift but at night you either hide in your car or drive across the street to the clinic next door

oh, great. the smell of someone that's been in the open air smoking makes my stomach lurch. working with nurses that have been sitting in their car to smoke? :barf01:

all4schwa · Nov 18, 2006

luckily where i work you couldn't even get to your car and back in 15mins.

jo272wv · Nov 18, 2006

I smoke and yes my hospital is going completly smoke free. I will attend the stop smoking clinic because for years I have wanted to quit but failed. So the supporters of this ban can say ya... The public sidewalk is only 20 feet from the front of our cancer center on a major highway, so I am sure that pts will go there to smoke. Now will that look better than the hidden area we now have for them? I can see it now, 4 or 5 pts in hospital gowns, attatched to IV machines standing in front of a cancer center. and since it is not hospital property, they are free to do so. Bet this policy changes quickly.

Now lets look at this resonably, I agreed with not smoking in public buildings, I also agreed with not smoking 15 ft from any entrence to a public building. Now I do not agree with telling my pts they can not smoke anywhere. The smoking area we now have is behind the building at least 30 feet from any entrance. A non smoker would have to go way out of their way to even come close to smelling or inhailing second hand smoke. So why the fuss? since when has smoking become illegal? When did freedom of choice been taken out of the constitution when it harms no one else (see where are smoking area is located). How can you justify telling a pt that they can not smoke when they are already stressed with hospitalization and now you want to add forced withdrawl to your nursing care plan?

I say to the non smokers, yours is comming. exhaust from cars is more harmful to your resp system then diluted smoke from 30 feet away in the outdoors. So the next step will be to ban cars because of health risks. Obesity is also a growing health concern so when the hospital food service, fast food restaurants, ect are only allowed to serve low fat foods because of public health issues, you will think that unfair. Believe me this can happen, It was not that long ago every hospital room had ashtrays in the rooms, college hallways had ashtrays on the walls, non smoking sections in restaurants did not exist or where only 6 tables in a corner.

Some times it is better to educate, then to ban totally, I beleive Ben Franklin wrote, when you give up even one freedom to better society, you deserve none.

Just food for thought.... I am trying to quit smoking anyway.... :zzzzz

michelle95 · Nov 18, 2006

These hospitals that are banning smoking on campus....are they banning those artery clogging burgers in the cafeteria? What about those krispy kremes?

Double standards. I know that smoking is bad for you but if I do it away from others..what's the difference in my smoking and the other person that weighs 400 lbs going to the cafeteria for cholesterol laden food?

daisey_may · Nov 18, 2006

Our hospital is smoke-free, too. People who need to smoke just go out in their cars and drive around during break. Pts get the option of a nictotine patch and staff can get them to from the pharmacy...at cost.

When we catch someone smoking in the bathrooms, we'll call security and he'll just ask the patient to stop it. I've heard that on the cardiac floor (I work med/surg) it's common for people to leave AMA just so they can have a smoke. I often wonder, nicotine is addictive, and addiction is a disease and I know that it's too unsafe to have people smoking in or around the hospital, but it's very hard for people to just use the nicotine patch and get their fix. I feel bad that we make it 'their problem, not ours'. WE force them to deal with their addiction and their illness. I'm not a smoker, but I still feel for them. It makes people crazy and consider leaving AMA, but then again we see it with ETOH patients...too bad we don't have an ETOH patch!

My question is for other smoke-free facilities...how do you control people from not smoking? What are the consequences for patient and staff?

mom23RN · Nov 18, 2006

These hospitals that are banning smoking on campus....are they banning those artery clogging burgers in the cafeteria? What about those krispy kremes?
Double standards. I know that smoking is bad for you but if I do it away from others..what's the difference in my smoking and the other person that weighs 400 lbs going to the cafeteria for cholesterol laden food?

Ahhhh.. precisely because of INCONSIDERATE smokers. That is what this ALL boils down to. And because the artery cloggin burgers and Krispy Kremes aren't dangerous to others.

I don't know how many times I see people driving around smoking WITH KIDS IN THE CAR. You can't tell me that they haven't seen the information about just how dangerous that is? Those are the morons who are going to get someone to say "hey, we need to start ticketing people who are smoking in the car with little kids in the car." You wouldn't really think that would be necessary, but it is, because of morons.

CVICURN2003 · Nov 18, 2006

I think ambulatory employees should be able to smoke if they want. However, it KILLS me to see a pt with an IV pole and a hospital gown in the "hut". Personally, I don't smoke and it ticks me off to no end when all of the nurses I work with go smoke and i have not had time to PEE. And they still take their thirty minute lunch and extra to smoke. Management is useless when it comes to this. But, employees should be able to smoke whenever they want....if a pt is so sick they need to be admitted to the hospital, they don't need to smoke. My opinion...