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!
Would everyone feel the same if there was an area away from where anyone else would be forced to share air with the smokers?
Been there, did that: each of the local hospitals had a smoking area, a "hut" or "shed" or whatever. Know how that worked out? People left their butts all over the ground outside the specified area, and the SMOKERS didn't want to use that area because they had to walk outside in the rain to get to the area. So they smoked right outside the ER entrance, just as I described.
Having a smoking area didn't mean it was used, used appropriately, or enforced.
So now they've got nothing, and I'm just fine with that.
Our hospital has been smoke free for some time now. Hospital grounds are also supposed to be smoke free. Signs posted in parking lots. Smoke huts disappeared. Many institutions in town and nearby smoke free also. I believe government buildings etc. It is no longer something new. I believe of all buildings hospitals should be smoke free. Health professionals have been emphasizing for many years now the bad effects of smoking and we should not promote it. Surgeon Generals report on smoking came out I believe in 1968. In a few months that will be 40 years!!! How long should it take to take that seriously? Only people questioning the facts are tobacco companies who obviously have much to gain from people smoking.
RNsRWe, ASN, RN
3 Articles; 10,428 Posts
Been there, did that: each of the local hospitals had a smoking area, a "hut" or "shed" or whatever. Know how that worked out? People left their butts all over the ground outside the specified area, and the SMOKERS didn't want to use that area because they had to walk outside in the rain to get to the area. So they smoked right outside the ER entrance, just as I described.
Having a smoking area didn't mean it was used, used appropriately, or enforced.
So now they've got nothing, and I'm just fine with that.