It’s a sign of the times. The more we learn about the dangers of breathing secondhand smoke, the less tolerant we are of being exposed to it. But getting people to stop smoking has never been as simple as putting up a sign, which is why Doylestown Hospital is implementing a tobacco-free program that addresses the interests of smokers as well as nonsmokers.

“We are here to help protect our patients, staff and visitors from the dangers of secondhand smoke,” says pulmonologist Les Szekely, MD, who is on the committee to make Doylestown Hospital an entirely tobacco-free campus. “We are also here to help smokers quit so they can live healthier lives.

“If we can do that, it’s a win-win situation for everyone,” he continues. “That’s why we’re reaching out to all smokers with ongoing education, literature, smoking cessation programs and counseling.”

Research shows that smoking rates decrease when smoking bans are in place. “Our goal is not only to make the entire Doylestown Hospital campus tobacco-free by Feb. 14, 2007, but to help all employees with smoking cessation and, subsequently, aggressively intervene with all tobaccoaddicted patients who are admitted to the hospital,” Dr. Szekely notes.

To learn more about smoking cessation classes at Doylestown Hospital, visit our website at dh.org. More information on smoking is inside this newsletter.