|
Lane County- For the health of it … we’re tobacco free. That’s the message from hospital officials at Eugene ’s Sacred Heart Medical Center , Cottage Grove Community Hospital and other area clinics and facilities owned by PeaceHealth. Beginning on Nov. 16, 2006 , all designated outdoor smoking shelters will be removed from these locations, as the entire PeaceHealth system becomes tobacco-free indoors and out on the same day as the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.
“Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in Lane County . We have chosen to convey the message that quitting tobacco – or never starting – is one of the most important health decisions a person can make,” said Mel Pyne, CEO, PeaceHealth Oregon Region.
The U.S. Surgeon General reported in June 2006 that an estimated 126 million Americans are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces, and that no level of exposure to secondhand smoke is safe. According to data from the American Cancer Society, t obacco use will cause 30 percent of the estimated 564,830 cancer deaths expected to occur in 2006.
“The American Cancer Society is excited about PeaceHealth’s plan to become tobacco-free on the 30 th anniversary of the Great American Smokeout. It’s a great step toward a healthier Lane County when one of its largest employers decides to stamp out smoking and tobacco use altogether,” said Laura Potter, District Executive Director of the American Cancer Society in Eugene.
The decision to go tobacco-free is system wide and affects all PeaceHealth properties in Oregon , Washington and Alaska . To encourage its employees to take the steps to quit smoking, PeaceHealth is offering its Options Tobacco Cessation Program at a discounted rate of $25, which is fully refundable upon successful completion of the program. The program is also available to the public for a $45 fee.
Marilyn Hartmann of Eugene is nearly four months into the Options program. After smoking for twenty years, the two to three pack a day smoker who has tried to quit before said, “I’ve never felt this strong before mentally in my life. This is a lifetime commitment for me.” Hartmann also noted that she’s noticed a definite change in her lifestyle. “I go out more, I’m active, I’m more social than I’ve been in years,” she said.
For more information on PeaceHealth’s tobacco-free policy, please visit www.peacehealth.org/tobaccofree
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
The media can view the deconstruction of the current designated smoking area shelters on the Sacred Heart Medical Center campus on Nov. 15, 2006 , from 10:00 a.m. to noon . Reporters can also speak to Susan Pfanner, Respiratory Care Therapist with the Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute, regarding the hospital’s tobacco cessation program. Marilyn Hartmann, who recently quit smoking, is also available to speak to reporters about her personal experience with tobacco addiction. To arrange media interviews, please call Andrea Ash at 541-686-6868.
|
