TN hospital: No jobs for smokers
TN hospital: No jobs for smokers
Policy promotes 'healthy behaviors'
Smokers need not apply. That is the new policy of Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, TN.
Everyone who applies for a job at Memorial Health Care will be tested for nicotine, and employment offers will be rescinded for those who test positive. The policy mirrors that of several other health systems, including the Cleveland Clinic and Akron Children's Hospital in Ohio and Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, GA.
It is the natural next step after implementing a tobacco-free campus, Brad Pope, vice president of human resources, explained in emailed comments to Hospital Employee Health.
"As a hospital, our work force and the communities we serve should expect us to set the example for improving healthy behaviors and lifestyles," he said. "We realize this will not happen overnight and there will be difficult decisions to make, but that should not stop us from making the decisions that will keep us on our journey to creating healthier communities."
The hospital also offers programs for current employees who are smokers, including Freedom from Smoking, the cessation program proven successful by the American Lung Association. "Smoking doubles a person's risk for stroke and heart disease; it increases by 10 times your risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung disease, and it drives up the cost of health care," a Memorial employee newsletter reminds.
Smokers need not apply. That is the new policy of Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, TN.Subscribe Now for Access
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