| Nov
10, 2006
Marquette
General Health System goes tobacco free January 1
Great American Smokeout November 14
MARQUETTE
— As
the Nation observes the Great American Smokeout on November 14,
Marquette General Health System has chosen this date to announce
that as of January 1, 2007, all buildings and grounds of Marquette
General Health System facilities will be tobacco free.
“An MGHS employee task force has been working on this initiative
for over a year,” said CEO Bill Nemacheck. “Because
of the numbers of people and the regional nature of the patients
and visitors who visit our facilities, we’ve rolled this
change out gradually to allow everyone enough time to be aware
of the change.”
Employee Health Manager and Registered Nurse Margaret Twichell
has led the task force. “The health dangers of tobacco use
and second-hand smoke are well known,” Twichell said. “And
we at MGH want to send a strong public message regarding this
issue.
“At the same time, the task force is very sympathetic to
the stress inherent in having a loved one hospitalized,”
said Twichell. “For the past year and a half, we’ve
had an internal educational campaign, information posted onto
our website, and a gradual reduction in the numbers of locations
on our grounds where tobacco use has been permitted.”
Twichell noted that those who choose to use tobacco may wish to
purchase nicotine gum if they will be accompanying a family member
to any MGHS facility for services.
Marquette General Health System joins the ranks of other hospitals
that have implemented tobacco-free policies, including the University
of Michigan Hospitals, Spectrum Health, Portage Health System,
and War Memorial Hospital.
The new tobacco-free policy applies to the buildings and grounds
of all Marquette General Health System facilities across the Upper
Peninsula. For a complete list of these facilities, visit the
MGHS website at http://www.mgh.org/pronetqf.html.
For resources to quit the use of tobacco products, visit the Marquette
General website at http://www.mgh.org/smoking/index.html.
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