Message Archive
September 9, 2009
Smoke Free Campus
Dear Health Center Employees,
I am pleased to announce that the University of Connecticut
Health Center is joining health care organizations across the
state and across the country in adopting a smoke free
campus. This decision is made in collaboration with the
Connecticut Hospital Association’s “Clear the Air” campaign,
which targets smoke free campuses at all Connecticut hospitals
by November 2010.
Plans are underway to move toward implementation of a smoke
free campus policy at UCHC by November 18, 2010. This date
coincides with the American Cancer Society’s "Great American
Smoke-Out," a national observance to encourage people to stop
smoking. Following a year-long campaign, we will be asking all
employees, patients, visitors, vendors, students, medical
residents and faculty to refrain from using any tobacco product
on UCHC premises. Additional information will be made available
in the coming months, including a list of affected properties,
public notifications and signage changes.
Smoking and second-hand smoke is widely recognized as the
single most important cause of preventable disease. As a leader
in health care, we have a responsibility to implement a policy
that promotes a safe and healthy environment. Previously, the
Health Center’s smoke-free zone applied to the building
interiors and within 50 feet of the building entrances. We are
proud to take this further step toward promoting the health of
Connecticut citizens.
Our Human Resources Department, through
Know Better Place, will
be working to support our employees throughout our transition to
a tobacco-free environment. Look for more information in the
near future on tobacco cessation resources and strategies,
including clinical trials and studies that are available right
here at the Health Center. In addition, we encourage employees
who would like to stop using tobacco products to take advantage
of the
Connecticut Quitline at 1-866-363-4224 (1-800-END-HABIT).
The CT Quitline is a telephone help line offered free of charge
that provides cessation counseling, quitting information and
support. The CT Quitline is available from 8 a.m. to 3
a.m. every day of the week. English, Spanish, and other language
speaking coaches are available.
It is important to emphasize that the decision to go
tobacco-free is not an attempt to “force” anyone to quit using
tobacco products. Rather, the tobacco-free initiative is a
concrete way for the Health Center to demonstrate its ongoing
commitment to healthy living. I ask for your support and
understanding as we strive to promote, protect and improve the
health of the citizens of our state.
Sincerely,
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President for Health Affairs
Dean, School of Medicine
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