recently my hospital, the one that wants to be ahead of any other healthwise in the central valley, has instituted, or will institute a policy of no smoking anywhere not even smoking areas provided to families visiting or patient's choosing to smoke. this sounds so progressive and right but in the back of my mind it is not right to force a life style change on someone, even if you in your program offer up nicotine lozengers or patches which our hospital will. true patients can choose to go to another hospital for treatment and they probably will when this takes effect tomorrow. any thoughts? ! i don't smoke or never have for that matter but i do live in a highly air polluted city so i probably consume a pack a day unwillingly.
smoking in bars is illegal in california, however smoking outside the bar is permitted. not at my hospital ! ! does this sound screwy or what?
oh, and staff are not aloud to smoke on the hospital grounds either!
Our hospital went "smoke free" in January. It doesn't work anyway. Both the visitors and employees still smoke. Have NO idea if the patients are managing to smoke since I work on a locked unit.
That's why it needs to be legislation that renders it a misdemeanor and not simply facility policy.
My facility is smoke free, although I have busted patients for smoking in the bathrooms. I love being able to breathe clean air. I'm deathly allergic to cigarette smoke, and I always resented that people could light up anywhere and don't get the hint when I'm sneezing, coughing, choking and trying to breathe... Put the darn thing out already.... geez...
I think it's a good thing. I wish my facility would go totally smoke-free. I quit about a month ago, and the longer I am smoke-free the worse I feel about the people who had to cover my behind so I could go outside and feed my addiction.
Personally, I wish tobacco were illegal all together.
The hospital in my town did it; even the medical office buildings around it are nonsmoking because its considered hospital grounds. I guess they figure that if they are well enough then they can walk across the street. I can see a good side to it because I HATE walking by smokers; it takes a lot for me not to cough loudly and rudely; hardly any one follows the "smoking section" rules. But people say that quiting smoking is harder than quiting heroin and sick people do not need any added stress responses flying around. I kinda feel the same way about people's diets. People in this area go to hospitals depending on who has the better hospital food. I know that people need to quit, I just don't know if adding the extra stress to already being sick is a good idea. I am not sure, cause I really do like the idea
Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
I am not and never have been a smoker. I suffer from adult onset asthma. Neither of my parents ever smoked. However, both of my brothers are life long smokers. My daughter and SIL are both smokers. My three grandchildren have sworn they will not smoke, ever.
I do not believe that employers, or restaurants, or hospitals or any other public area has any right to tell people they can or cannot smoke. Saturday, we spent from 10AM to 10PM at Sea World, Orlando. They have a few areas designated for smokers. It seemed that everyone spent their time looking for these places rather then enjoying the shows and the rides. I don't think that smoking should be allowed on airplanes, trains or buses. But my one reason is that they all share a closed ventilation system. And it is kind of difficult to step outside for a smoke. I find it funny but a lot of nurses seem to support a smoking ban but object to having their other rights legislated.
We once tried to legislate drinking. And look at what a failure that attempt was. Now we think we can legislate smoking. I would rather see money spent on educating our children to the hazards of smoking. And the illnesses caused by smoking.
But people say that quiting smoking is harder than quiting heroin and sick people do not need any added stress responses flying around. I kinda feel the same way about people's diets. People in this area go to hospitals depending on who has the better hospital food. I know that people need to quit, I just don't know if adding the extra stress to already being sick is a good idea. I am not sure, cause I really do like the idea
But no one is talking about making people quit smoking -- they just can't smoke on the hospital grounds, the same as you can no longer smoke on planes, or in restaurants & bars in lots of places. Visitors can drag their butts off the hospital grounds to smoke all they like, and the hospitals that are doing this are typically v. aggressive about supplying (unless it's contraindicated for some reason) nicotine replacement therapy (gum and patches) for inpatients to tide them over until they're discharged. Once they leave the hospital and return home, they are welcome to go back to killing themselves and their family members. :)
The majority of the hospitals in my area have this no smoking anywhere on campus policy. My husband works for the sheriff's office and all employees are not allowed to smoke period to become an officer. It's a growing trend in America. A good one I might add.
Missouri does not allow you to smoke on hospital grounds or actually anything that is deemed a healthcare facility. It's been in effect for over a year now. Employees at my current job are fired if they are caught smoking on hospital grounds. We also tell all of our patients and families that smoking is not allowed on the property and if they feel the need to smoke, they must leave the hospital grounds.
Ours did this about a year ago. Smokers didn't like it, but we sure didn't lose business because of it! People who need our care, or prefer it to others, still arrive in droves.
Employees are not allowed to smoke here, either. Doesn't mean they don't slip out the back and sneak up the street on breaks to do it, they just aren't permitted to do so in our parking lots. Don't suppose any of them like it, either, but so what? The health of those around them comes before their choice to smoke. I personally LOVE not having to choke my way through a cloud of smoke on my way into the ER entrance anymore
Visitors: no smoking. Take it outside, and WELL outside, as you can't smoke in front of any of the doors. They deal with it.
What people do on their own time is their own business (see comment about going down the street, off hospital grounds, to smoke). But what they do on hospital time, at a risk to the health of others around them, is everybody else's business.
Ours did this about a year ago. Smokers didn't like it, but we sure didn't lose business because of it! People who need our care, or prefer it to others, still arrive in droves.
Employees are not allowed to smoke here, either. Doesn't mean they don't slip out the back and sneak up the street on breaks to do it, they just aren't permitted to do so in our parking lots. Don't suppose any of them like it, either, but so what? The health of those around them comes before their choice to smoke. I personally LOVE not having to choke my way through a cloud of smoke on my way into the ER entrance anymore
Visitors: no smoking. Take it outside, and WELL outside, as you can't smoke in front of any of the doors. They deal with it.
What people do on their own time is their own business (see comment about going down the street, off hospital grounds, to smoke). But what they do on hospital time, at a risk to the health of others around them, is everybody else's business.
I love the policy, can't ya tell?
Would everyone feel the same if there was an area away from where anyone else would be forced to share air with the smokers?
Would everyone feel the same if there was an area away from where anyone else would be forced to share air with the smokers?
That's what the policy was supposed to be (per OSHA) for the previous several years, and we all know how well that worked out -- the mobs of smokers and thick clouds of cigarette smoke at all the hospital entrances (even though those entrances were clearly marked as non-smoking areas and there were signs up directing people to the designated smoking "sheds.")
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Music in My Heart
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That's why it needs to be legislation that renders it a misdemeanor and not simply facility policy.