GRH goes smoke free
Posted Apr 2, 2013 06:10:16 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Grand River Hospital is butting out for good beginning today.
Effective April 2nd, the hospital is implementing a tobacco free policy that will apply to all four it its buildings and properties, and will eliminate designated smoking areas that were previously in place.
This means smoking is not allowed on any part of the property.
Grand River Hospital Director of Communications Mark Karjalouto tells 570 News many hospitals have already enforced such policies, and it’s time for Grand River to follow suit and lead by example.
Karjalouto says they have been preparing for the policy to come into effect for the last two years.
“What takes a while to put this into place though is the amount of co-ordination. Training, letting people know what going on, how you’re going to deal with patients, how you’re going to help members of the public and that if they don’t know what’s going on in respect to this policy.”
Karjalouto stresses the hospital is taking an educate rather than enforce approach to the policy. He says they have trained about 125 people to be Tobacco Free Champions that will help to educate both the public and patients on the new rule, as well as provide information about quitting options for smokers.
Karjalouto adds they have been directing people to the Smoker’s Help Line.
If you do want to smoke when visiting one of the Grand River sites, it will have to be at the property line. For the Grand River Hospital site in Kitchener, this means you will have to smoke along King Street West, Green Street, Mt. Hope Street and Park Street.
Karjalouto says between the Grand River and Freeport sites, they will have about 80 signs posted, reminding people the whole property is tobacco free.
He adds the goal is to de-normalize smoking.
“It’s fairly consistent with how tobacco use has been going. It used to be much more common, probably even as recently as 10 years ago and now has started to dip. I think with a hospital taking this approach it’s a good way to lead by example.”
