HOSPITALS GO SMOKE FREE ON NEW YEAR'S DAY

Starting Wednesday, Bob Owen will leave his cigarettes in his car when he comes to work.

The new year ushers in a new smoke-free policy at hospitals across the nation, including St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

Beginning Wednesday, employees, visitors and patients may no longer smoke in hospitals. Health care facilities risk losing accreditation unless they comply with the new policy.

So, Owen, director of human resources at St. Francis Medical Center, and other smokers in the healthcare professions can no longer light up at work.

"As health care professionals, we know smoking is not a healthy choice," Owen said. "We have a real strong choice to make about how bad we want to smoke and how cold we want to be."

He added that several employees have already quit smoking.

On Wednesday, ashtrays will be removed at St. Francis Medical Center. At Southeast Missouri Hospital, smoking areas will be re-labeled no smoking areas. Smoking will be allowed only outside the buildings.

Chuck Keppler, Southeast Missouri Hospital's director of human resources, said the new rule is pretty straight forward.

"Essentially, smoking won't be allowed in the hospital," Keppler said.

The new regulations developed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations will prohibit virtually all tobacco use at facilities accredited by the organization.

The only exceptions to the ban must be authorized by written physician orders and are limited to terminally-ill and chemically-dependent patients.

Keppler said, "A lot of hospitals went smoke-free prior to the joint commission's regulation, and other businesses have various policies concerning smoking. This is just another step."

Owen added that a smoke-free facility is in keeping with the mission of a hospital.

"The image of a health care institution is that we provide an environment where people can get well. If we are allowing them to smoke, I'm not sure we've met our part."

At Southeast, Keppler said, "Previously we've had designated smoking areas for employees and visitors. Those areas were pretty restrictive, one for employees and three for visitors."

As of Wednesday, those areas too will be no smoking areas.

At St. Francis, prior to July 1, 1991, smoking was allowed in private offices and several lounges throughout the hospital. On July 1, smoking was restricted to specific smoking areas. Those areas will be smoke-free Wednesday.

"People who continue to smoke will just not have that opportunity during the day," Owen said.

Southeast and St. Francis have provided smoking cessation classes for employees.

Also all the hospitals in Southeast Missouri have joined together to let people know about the change.

Keppler said, "Most of the hospitals in Southeast Missouri will all be in compliance Jan. 1. This is not just an isolated thing we've done."

The hospitals had some concern that smokers might try to seek out a facility that still allowed smoking.

Owen said, "We joined in this announcement so that no one hospital would acquire even a temporary political advantage."

In addition to the Cape Girardeau hospitals, other health care facilities in Southeast Missouri which are becoming smoke-free include Perry County Memorial Hospital at Perryville, Missouri Delta Medical Center at Sikeston, Pemiscot Memorial Hospital in Caruthersville, Doctors Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Crystal City and Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center in Kennett.

"It's been well received for the most part," Owen said. "But I can see some of the smokers' tension growing. I think it's been kind of nice having someone who's a smoker as chairman of the smoke-free task force.

"We really believe it will go fairly smoothly, and I think deep down in their hearts, people expect a hospital to be this way."