The University Health System has prohibited smoking on property considered part of the Medical Center, effective today.
The ban only will apply to areas where patients are seen and not to the Medical School or Nursing School, said Megan Rowe, a staff member of the Health System's public relations office.
Because of Virginia state laws, smoking already has been banned indoors throughout the Health System, Special Projects Coordinator Reba Camp said. In addition, the University already has a ban on smoking within 25 feet of any building entrances.
The new change, however, is expected to help the Health System promote a healthy environment for its employees, patients and visitors, Camp said. The change should also reflect positively on the hospital's image, Rowe noted.
"We just felt that allowing smoking on our grounds ... kind of undermined our message of being a health care facility and wanting to [promote a healthy lifestyle]," Rowe said.
The specific area where smoking is prohibited is outlined on a map posted to the Web page that advertises the smoking ban. Rowe said the ban will mostly be enforced by staff members, who will have to remind others that the Medical Center is now a smoke-free zone.
But visitors who have a strong urge for cigarettes will be offered nicotine lozenges to help ease their cravings, Rowe added. These nicotine lozenges are a new offering that will be available to visitors 18 years of age or older.
Employees covered with the hospital's insurance plan have had free access to nicotine replacement therapy for three months, Camp said. Because this insurance plan does not cover all employees, however, the Health System has outlined several quitting resources in the Charlottesville area as well.
"We wanted to provide resources for a very diverse population," Camp said, noting that some smokers would prefer group therapy while others would feel less comfortable in such a situation.\n"We just wanted to provide more options so people would find one or more [programs] that were a good match for them."
-compiled by Prateek Vasireddy.
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