 May 29, 2003
This effort is part of a larger effort on the part of KGH to demonstrate a commitment to health. One component will be nutritional, with the hospital cafeteria moving towards more healthy meal and snack options. Another component will be fitness, and will begin in June with the 10,000 Steps program, where employees who desire them will be given pedometers to count the number of steps they take in a day (10,000 steps being roughly the equivalent of walking 5 miles.) Employees also have free access to fitness equipment within the hospital. The Tongass Tobacco Free Alliance, which promotes tobacco education and prevention, brought the tobacco free campus initiative to the KGH Administration and Governing Board, who approved and support the effort to create a smoke-free campus and--as a primary healthcare provider--set an example for other workplaces in the Ketchikan. The Tongass Tobacco Free Alliance includes Ketchikan Public Health Center, PatchWorks, Ketchikan Indian Corporation, the US Coast Guard, Alaskans for Tobacco Free Kids, and KGH. Although KGH would be the first hospital within Alaska to implement a tobacco-free campus, it is not an unusual step nationwide. Many hospitals have implemented such policies, including a PeaceHealth sister hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital in Bellingham, Washington. Tobacco causes more disease and death in the United States than all other toxins combined, and is the country's third leading cause of preventable death, killing 430,000 per year. Of these, 53,000 die from exposure to secondhand smoke. Research provides further support for workplaces going completely smoke-free. PeaceHealth's mission statement includes "promoting personal and community health", therefore it is believed that by not allowing smoking on campus we will give a message that parallels what health care providers are telling their patients about how to stay healthy. Between now and May, 2004 KGH employees and patients will be offered various aids including cessation programs and nicotine patches or gum as well as education to assist with the transition to and compliance with the new policy. The hospital's cessation program, Tackle Tobacco, is being offered free to employees and at a reduced rate to their family members. New signage will be put in place around the building and grounds. The smoke-free campus will include the entire property of KGH and hospital owned clinics, and will impact all employees, volunteers, physicians, patients, vendors and visitors.
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