Hospital announces plans to go smoke-free

Calvert Memorial Hospital has announced that effective June 1, 2007 the hospital will prohibit smoking on all hospital-owned property, both inside and out. All employees, patients and visitors to the main hospital campus and both Solomons and Dunkirk Medical Buildings will no longer be allowed to smoke in any public area.

“We recognize this is a sensitive issue for many people, but the health and safety of our patients and staff are always our first priority,” explained President and CEO James J. Xinis. “As leaders in health care we have a responsibility to protect patients, visitors and employees from second-hand smoke and to encourage healthy lifestyles. This action accomplishes both of those objectives.”

Calvert Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Kasia Sweeney said the hospital will undertake a major public awareness campaign to inform the local community about the new smoke-free policy well in advance of its implementation. The hospital, she noted, is not alone in its efforts to combat second-hand smoke, the number one preventable health risk facing the public.

“We will also be partnering with the local health department to offer free smoking cessation classes for the public,” said Sweeney. A full listing of tobacco cessation programs can be found online at www.calverthospital.org.

Calvert Memorial, like all Maryland facilities, is already smoke-free inside its buildings. Recently, the Maryland Hospital Association passed a resolution encouraging all Maryland hospitals to adopt “smoke-free” campus policies. The association estimates nearly two-thirds of Maryland hospitals will eliminate smoking on their campuses by 2008.

Questions about the policy can be directed to the Calvert Memorial Hospital KeepWell Center at (410) 535-8233.