Medical Center Campus Will Be Tobacco Free Starting Nov. 20
Date
09/16/2008
Article
On November 20, all Somerset Medical Center facilities will become permanently smoke-free inside and out. The date was chosen to coincide with The American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout.
The new initiative mandates that no tobacco products will be permitted on the Somerset Medical Center campus. This includes the main hospital, the Steeplechase Cancer Center, Somerset Family Practice, and all surrounding parking lots, sidewalks and gardens. Somerset Medical Center employees and physicians will also be prohibited from using tobacco products at any of the medical center's off-site locations, including the Sleep for Life Center in Hillsborough, the Sports Performance and Rehabilitation Center in Bridgewater, and the Desapio and Mian buildings in Somerville.
'This is an extremely important initiative for the medical center and one that we believe reflects our vision of healthcare and wellness promotion for patients, visitors, employees and volunteers alike,' said Kenneth Bateman, president and chief executive officer of Somerset Medical Center. 'The medical center itself has been smoke-free for several years, but this will take it to a new level.'
Since the 1980s, public concern over the health consequences of smoking has led organizations in the public and private sectors, including medical centers, to restrict the use of tobacco products in their buildings and on their premises. The New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act, enacted in 2006, also included restaurants and bars in its laws. In the past few years, many hospitals in New Jersey and across the country have taken the additional step of implementing smoke-free campuses to further emphasize the health risks of smoking.
'Smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States,' said Chris Kotsen PsyD, program manager of the Tobacco Quitcenter at Somerset Medical Center, one of only seven Tobacco Quitcenters in New Jersey. 'It's important to be in an environment that supports quitting if you are a smoker and being in a smoke-free facility is a part of that.'
Somerset Medical Center's Quitcenter provides individualized treatment, which may include individual, group or family counseling, discounted nicotine replacement therapies (such as patches and gum), medication consultation, prescriptions and carbon monoxide monitoring.
For more information about Somerset Medical Center's Tobacco Quitcenter, call 908-685-2442 or visit somersetmedicalcenter.com/quit.
