Trident Health System to Offer Tobacco-Free Environments
November 5, 2007; Charleston, SC: Beginning November 15, Trident Health System (including Trident Medical Center, Summerville Medical Center, Moncks Corner Medical Center and other affiliated facilities) will become tobacco-free. The use of all tobacco products, including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, will be prohibited on all hospital property, including all structures and parking lots. The policy was recently announced and the hospitals are making preparations to ensure success on the kick-off date of November 15, which is also the date of the annual “Great American Smoke-Out”.“This decision demonstrates Trident Health System’s continued commitment to health, and we are excited about joining other area organizations in support of a cleaner air environment for our community and state,” said Terry Gunn, President of HCA Carolina Market and CEO at Trident Health System. “In order to make this transition as seamless as possible, we will offer resources to our employees to promote a healthier lifestyle.”
The Health System will offer smoking-cessation classes free of charge to the community and hospital employees. In addition, health system employees will receive nicotine replacement therapy products to aid in their efforts to eliminate tobacco. Activities and nutrition counseling will be made available to all employees through its employee wellness program, “SHinE” (Supporting Health in Everyone).
Trident Health System is a lead partner in the Well Region of Charleston initiative, a three year business community-led effort to improve the health status of the region’s workforce through well-designed workplace wellness programs. Through affiliation with the nationally recognized Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA), more than 55 area companies have secured WELCOA’s Well Workplace University training, 60 companies participate in the quarterly Well Workplace Roundtable meetings, hosted by Trident Medical Center, and 23 area employers have committed to the effort in its first year. “We see the move toward smoke-free campuses, along with our leadership in the Well Region initiative, as one more step toward demonstrating our commitment to the well-being of the communities we serve,” said Deb Campeau, assistant vice president of business development and Well Region steering committee chairperson.
Last December, the South Carolina Hospital Association passed a resolution recommending all state hospitals implement a tobacco-free policy by November 15, 2007. Approximately 22 South Carolina hospitals are currently tobacco-free, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control, and more are expected to implement policies by the suggested November 15 deadline.
Trident Health System is an HCA hospital system comprised of three acute care hospitals – Trident Medical Center, Summerville Medical Center and Colleton Medical Center – as well as Moncks Corner Medical Center and diagnostic centers throughout Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester counties. For more information on Trident Health System, call 843.797.7000 or visit our website at www.tridenthealthsystem.com.
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