Eden Medical Center Goes Tobacco-Free–June 1, 2012

Posted on May 15, 2012

Wellness initiative designed to protect patients, staff and visitors

Joining a growing list of hospitals that are going smoke free, Eden Medical Center will no longer permit smoking or tobacco use anywhere on its properties starting June 1, 2012. In an effort to further promote its commitment to health and wellness, this new policy means the smoking of any substance and the use of tobacco products in any form are not permitted by anyone on or within:

• Eden Medical Center owned or leased property
• Eden Medical Center parking facilities and lots (including privately owned vehicles parked on Eden Medical Center property)

This policy applies to staff, patients, visitors, volunteers, contractors and vendors.

“Eden’s goal is to protect staff, patients and community members from exposure to second-hand smoke–a known toxin. In fact, tobacco use kills 440,000 people each year,” said Colette Lee, manager of Community Health Education at Eden Medical Center. “Becoming a tobacco-free campus will reinforce our mission of health and well being for the entire community.”

Eden Medical Center is not requiring anyone to quit tobacco use, but to refrain from it while on Eden property. The medical center will continue to provide patients with nicotine replacement products during their admission when appropriate, as well as bedside cessation counseling. Visitors to the facility can request a free “Comfort Kit” from the Help Desk, which contains several items to help curb the need to smoke while they are on campus. In anticipation of this new policy, Eden has also been offering free smoking cessation classes to employees, volunteers and physicians for the past several months.

For information on how to quit smoking, please contact the California Smokers’ Hotline at 1-800-NO-BUTTS.

Eden Medical Center is part of the Sutter Health network of care, a not-for-profit, community-based health system located throughout Northern California. For more information on Eden Medical Center, visit edenmedcenter.org.