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Show UHA says, majority of Utah hospitals to ban smoking The momentum for "smoke-free" "smoke-free" facilities, said Kinnersley, largely came about in the 1980s by the forceful efforts of former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, who challenged the public and specifically the health care community com-munity to abolish tobacco use as one of the best methods of disease prevention. Several annual reports generated by Koop, mandated by Congress, indicated the dangers of tobacco to smokers and non-smokers alike. Beginning with the endorsement of the health care community, the crusade to cut the use of tobacco and its cost to humanity has fanned out into the broader aspects of society. Employers are beginning to recognize the non-smoking employees are more productive than those who smoke. One study shows that smoking costs employers an average of $5,662 per year. This is because smokers tend to be absent more, have higher medical bills, die younger, and damage furniture and sensitive equipment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commissioned an independent panel of scientists to review the labeling of tobacco smoke as a 'known human carcinogen.' car-cinogen.' The 1991 EPA draft report concludes that "second hand cigarette smoke kills o3,000 non-smokers non-smokers a year, including 37,000 from heart disease and contributes substantially to indoor air pollution." pollu-tion." "We simply want to reassure the general public," concluded Kinnersley, Kin-nersley, "that Utah hospitals are committed to reduce the known hazards of tobacco smoke to our patients, staff and visitors." Next month, the majority of Utah's 54 hospitals will ban smoking, smok-ing, according to the Utah Hospital Association. "Beginning Jan. 1, 1992, accredited ac-credited hospitals will have to abide by a new ruling of the Joint Commission Com-mission of Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JACHO) that prohibits the use of smoking materials mate-rials throughout hospital buildings and applies to patients, visitors, employees, medical staff and volunteers," vol-unteers," said UHA President Rick Kinnersley. (Regarding patients, an exceptions excep-tions clause to the ruling allows only medical permission options for the terminally ill or for those being treated for other addictions.) "Pressure has been building in the last decade for a total ban on smoking by health care providers as survey after survey reports the deadly effects of direct and indirect tobacco smoke," said Kinnersley. "In just the last two years, many of our Utah hospitals have voluntarily volun-tarily elected to.go 'smoke-free' by severely restricting tobacco smoking smok-ing to one location on-site. From now on, however, those hospitals seeking accreditation by JACHO must not only comply with clinical, educational and safety performance standards, but include a ban on smoking as well. "These new standards will apply in two-thirds of Utah hospitals participating par-ticipating in the JACHO industry accreditation program. Most of the other remaining hospitals not in the JACHO program have voluntarily restricted tobacco use," Kinnersley said. Many states have passed laws banning smoking in hospitals, he said, with Maryland being the most recent state to do so. Utah's Clean Indoor-Air Act, while not specifically mentioning hospitals, does ban smoking in all publ ic places. Indoor clean air ordinances for public buildings are becoming stricter. For example, the new Delta Center (Jazz and Eagles arena) bans all smoking anywhere in the building. "Some people may perceive this ban as a religious issue or a 'rights' issue. Our position is that it is a health issue. Each year 725 Utahns die from cigarette smoking and more than 1,400 potential years of life are lost prematurely by Utahns due to smoking-related diseases. We have an obligation to be a guardian of the public trust as health care leaders in the community- "We also see it as an economic issue in an era of shrinking health care resource dollars. Cigarette smoking costs the State of Utah an estimated $155 million annually in medical care, lost productivity, lost income and disability," said Kinnersley. Kin-nersley. F J, |