December 15, 2020 3:25 a.m.

Mercy Medical Center has announced plans to implement a full-scale tobacco-free policy at all Mercy facilities, effective January 1st.

That means the few remaining designated areas for tobacco use will be removed.

Director of Mission Services and Bioethics David Price said, “We are eliminating tobacco-use on our properties to provide a healthy and safe environment for employees, patients and visitors and to promote positive health behaviors”.

A release said the new policy bans the use of all tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, pipes and smokeless tobacco, within all properties owned, leased, or occupied by CHI Mercy Health. That includes parking lots, hospital vehicles, and employee’s personal vehicles parked on the premises. Employees will be prohibited from using tobacco products during working hours.

The release said CHI Mercy Health views tobacco-use as quality concern. Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jason Gray said, “As a health care provider, we see daily the problems that tobacco-use can cause for a patient”. Gray said smoking slows wound healing, increases infection rates in surgeries, and is the most common cause of poor birth outcomes.

Price said Mercy recognizes the challenges of breaking the addiction to nicotine and respects an individual’s quitting process. Price said, “We are not telling anyone, ‘you must quit smoking”’. However, he said they are saying that staff may not use tobacco products at the hospital, for the benefit and health of patients, visitors and other staff.

In implementing the full tobacco ban, the hospital plans to offer symptom relief or tobacco-cessation treatment to interested staff, visitor and patients. For patients or visitors at the hospital, Mercy will be offering options to help ease nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Go to www.chimercyhealth.org for more information on Mercy Medical Center.