Tobacco use is the single leading preventable cause of death in the United States. More than 400,000 people die each year from the use of tobacco. In the state of North Carolina, 22.6% of North Carolinians use tobacco, and the economic cost of smoking is estimated to be about $3,391 per smoker per year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2002).

The Hospital Association of NC recently passed a resolution encouraging all NC Hospitals to become tobacco-free campus wide by July of 2008.

One way to encourage people to quit using tobacco is to make hospital worksites 100% tobacco-free campus wide. Campus wide means restricting the use of tobacco on the entire hospital campus and all hospital premises including sidewalks, parking lots, lawn areas, and vehicles. Benefits to hospitals include the following:

Protecting Everyone from Exposure to Secondhand Smoke

Creating a Healthier Workforce

Fulfilling your Hospital’s Mission Statement

Saving Costs for Hospitals

Setting a Community Example

Saving Lives

Protecting Everyone from Exposure to Secondhand Smoke

A recent U.S. Surgeon General Report concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Essentially, this means that any encounter with tobacco smoke poses a health risk, whether or not an individual is actually using tobacco or not. For this reason, many hospitals throughout the nation have chosen to become tobacco-free campus wide. By increasing the availability of tobacco-free environments, hospitals can protect people from the dangers of secondhand smoke and support people in quitting the use of tobacco.

Secondhand smoke places everyone at risk because it contains many toxic chemicals, including those known to cause cancer.  As a result, exposure to secondhand smoke contributes significantly to the financial and health-related costs of smoking.  The Society of Actuaries estimates that secondhand smoke costs the United States almost $10 billion per year in medical expenses and lost productivity. Research also shows that people exposed to secondhand smoke suffer from the same health conditions that smokers suffer from, including increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.  The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) estimates that every year, 38,112 lung cancer and heart disease deaths in the United States are caused by secondhand smoke.

The number of North Carolinians who die each year from secondhand smoke and smoking during pregnancy is estimated to be between 1,190 and 2,110 people (adults, children, and babies).  Therefore, in addition to the 11,900 adults in North Carolina who die each year due to active smoking, another 10% more lose their lives to secondhand smoke exposure.

Adult smoking poses a significant health risk for kids as well.  According to the CDC, 910 infants die every year as a result of maternal smoking during pregnancy.  In addition, 416,000 North Carolinian children experience secondhand smoke in their homes every day.  Children exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher risk for lower respiratory infections, chronic ear infections, asthma, abdominal obesity, and hyperglycemia. 

Sources:
For more information about secondhand smoke, see the following:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 
The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke:  A Report of the Surgeon General.  2006.
www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/report/

Centers for Disease Control, MMWR Weekly, July 1, 2005 / 54(25); 625-628.
Annual Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses --- United States, 1997-2001.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5425a1.htm

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
The Toll of Tobacco in North Carolina
www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements/toll.php?StateID=NC

NC Alliance for Health
Why Secondhand Smoke Should be Eliminated from North Carolina’s Worksites and Public Places (November 2006)
www.rtpnet.org/alliance/pdfs/Talking_Points_SHS_Gen.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Smoking and Tobacco Use: Fact Sheet: Secondhand Smoke
(Updated September 2006)
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/Factsheets/SecondhandSmoke.htm

 

Creating a Healthier Workforce
Tobacco use increases an individual's risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease, as well as many respiratory and oral diseases. By implementing a tobacco-free campus wide policy, hospitals can help assure a healthier workforce. NC Prevention Partners helps businesses to adopt prevention policies through the Prevention First Challenge. Some national organizations, like Americans for nonsmokers' rights have useful resources.

Fulfilling your Hospital’s Mission Statement
All hospitals share the mission of providing quality health services and promoting health and well-being. An excellent way to fulfill part of a hospital’s mission statement is to implement a tobacco-free campus wide policy.

Saving Costs for Hospitals
In addition to the healthcare costs associated with tobacco use, hospitals can also accumulate significant indirect costs due to lost productivity and absenteeism. The implementation of a tobacco-free campus wide policy can ultimately help to reduce these costs. Click here to complete a worksheet and find out how much the implementation of tobacco-free campus wide policy can save your hospital.

Setting a Community Example
A tobacco-free campus showcases the hospital’s role as a community leader in protecting the health of the public and motivating others to do likewise. Use the Healthy County Profile to see what other hospitals in North Carolina are currently doing in the area of tobacco-free policy implementation. For more information on community outreach, click here.

Saving Lives
By implementing a tobacco-free campus wide policy, your hospital will be helping to save lives. For additional information on the health benefits of quitting tobacco, visit www.quitnownc.org.