We're going tobacco-free July 4, 2007
Chatham Hospital, along with the UNC Health Care and Rex Healthcare announced in early October 2006 the decision to become 100 percent tobacco-free by July 4, 2007.
While Chatham Hospital has banned the use of tobacco products inside its buildings for some time, this new policy will prohibit the use of tobacco products anywhere on our property for employees, physicians, patients, visitors and anyone else on the property.
We join 69 other hospitals in North Carolina, and a growing number of health care facilities across the nation that have already made the decision to go tobacco-free. This decision directly supports our mission to promote health and wellness in the community.
A recent report by the US Surgeon General documents the serious and deadly health effects of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke. Secondhand smoke is a major cause of disease, including lung cancer and coronary heart disease, in healthy, nonsmokers.
Today, massive and conclusive scientific evidence documents adverse effects of involuntary smoking on children and adults, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases in adults, and adverse respiratory effects in both children and adults. Chatham Hospitals’ tobacco-free policy is intended to eliminate the potential for exposure to second-hand smoke and smokeless tobacco products at our campus.
