Smoke-Free Campus

Smoke-Free Campus

In keeping with the hospital’s vision of a “Healthy Community,” Wise Regional Health System implemented a smoke-free policy on April 1, 2008.

Smoking is not allowed on or at any hospital operated facilities/ grounds. This includes the parking lot surrounding the hospital. This policy will apply to all patients, visitors, medical staff members, volunteers, vendors, contracted staff and employees of the hospital. This policy is part of the hospital’s ongoing effort to promote community health and wellness, to prevent and treat disease, and to ensure a safe, clean environment.

Smoking Facts

  • More people die each year from smoking-related illnesses than from AIDS, drug abuse, car accidents and murder combined.
  • Smoking causes 19.5% (or 1 in 5) of all deaths in the United States each year. Cigarette smoking is the major preventable cause of:
    • emphysema
    • lung cancer
    • chronic bronchitis
    • heart disease & stroke
  • Nicotine is only 1 of 4000 chemicals found in cigarette smoke, 200 of these are known poisons.
  • Cigarette smoking is the #1 cause of cancer death in men, and lung cancer has now surpassed breast cancer as the #1 cause of cancer deaths among women.
  • Pregnant smokers have higher rates of miscarriage, stillbirths and babies who are born too soon. More of their babies die soon after birth from crib death than newborns of nonsmoking mothers.
  • Babies of parents who smoke at home have a much higher rate of lung disease such as bronchitis and pneumonia than babies of nonsmoking parents; these illnesses occur twice as often when parents smoke around their children.

Tips to help you quit:

  1. Make a list of your reasons for quitting and say them often.
  2. Set a quit date and tell your family and friends you are going to quit.
  3. Keep a supply of healthy snacks handy.
  4. Increase your exercise. Walk more.
  5. Make specific plans for what you’ll do when the urge hits. For example, take a deep breath, get up and walk around, call a friend for help, keep your hands busy. Remember, the urge passes in just a few minutes whether you smoke or not.
  6. Remove all cigarettes, ashtrays, matches and lighters from your home, workplace and car.
  7. Consider using a nicotine replacement product; they work best for smokers who are addicted to nicotine and are really trying to quit. Some are available over the counter such as the nicotine gum or patch, while others require a doctor’s prescription such as the Nicotrol inhaler, nasal spray, and lozenges. Consult your physician about using the prescription medicine Zyban.
  8. Consider attending stop-smoking classes for extra support, or contact one of the organizations listed for more information.
Where are you in the six-step process of quitting?

  • Pre-contemplation

    Not even thinking about quitting. People in this step have never really considered trying to quit. This is a hard group to motivate to quit.

  • Contemplation

    These smokers are considering quitting someday. They are waiting for a motivating event to help them find the reasons to quit.

  • Action

    In the act of quitting. These smokers have prepared to stop by reducing the amount smoked, changing brands, or restricting their smoking. They have considered what to do on the day of quitting and planned for coping strategies to deal with urges to smoke.

  • Maintenance

    In this stage, a person has quit smoking but is in their first year. After one year off cigarettes, a smoker can claim success at cessation.

  • Relapse

    A return to daily smoking after a period of not smoking. First-time quitters are successful 25% of the time; others need to make another attempt. Said another way, “Practice makes perfect.”

  • Renewed Action

    Please note that 75% of smokers will have to pass through this step to become a nonsmoker. The good news is that repeated attempts to quit are worth it because you can learn from past mistakes