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5Q: Why is Clarian changing its smokingpolicy?A: Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventabledeath in the United States. As a health careleader, Clarian has a commitment to the health andsafety of its patients, visitors and employees. Childrenat Riley have sometimes not been able to play outsidedue to nearby secondhand smoke (SHS); chemotherapypatients have become ill from the smell of SHS; visitorswith asthma have suffered respiratory distress fromSHS that has resulted in visits to the ER; and severalmulch fires have been caused by inappropriate disposalof cigarettes.Q: Whom does the policy affect?A: Everyone who is on Clarian’s owned or leasedproperties – patients, visitors, employees, volunteers,physicians, students, contract employees, contractorsand service representatives.Q: How is this different from Clarian’scurrent smoking policy?A: Clarian currently has a smoke-free environmentinside the buildings. The new policy affects groundsand all properties owned or leased by Clarian.Clarian’s intention is to create a healthier and saferenvironment for patients, visitors and employees byeliminating the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.To that end, smoking will be prohibited in all Clarianbuildings, on all properties and grounds and in companyvehicles. This prohibition includes walkways, parkinggarages and tunnels, or within a 30-foot perimeterof any entrance, whichever is greater.Q: Why was smoking selected versus otherhealth risks?A: Many people – smokers, patients, and probablyeven some health professionals – aren’t aware howmuch smoking impacts health care and recovery. Bymaking the campus environment smoke-free, Clarianis addressing the number one health risk today for itspatients, visitors and employees.Answers to yourquestions aboutClarian’s newsmoke-freecampus policyAs Clarian’s smoke-free campus target date of July 1 rapidly approaches,Clarian is striving to clarify the policy and keep employees informed of justwhat the new policy means for them. The most frequently asked questionsabout the new policy – and Clarian’s answers to them – are shown here.Plus, just as many patients, visitors and employeesare sensitive to perfume, for which Clarian has a longstandingpolicy, so too are many people adverselyaffected by SHS or the particulates it leaves behind.Because particles from smoke stick to clothing, hair,skin, etc., – more so than many smokers realize – andcan trigger attacks in those who have asthma or nauseain patients undergoing chemotherapy, Clarian does notwant its employees to smoke during work hours andrisk causing an adverse reaction in a patient, visitor orcolleague.Q: What is the impact at IndianaUniversity Hospital?A: The smoke-free campus policy addresses all ownedand leased facilities. Riley Hospital, IU Hospital,Methodist and Wishard will implement the smoke-freecampus policy on July 1. Employees are expected to berespectful of neighboring residents and businesses,including IUPUI and Wishard, by not loitering in frontof homes or businesses or by inappropriately discardingtobacco products.Q. Do I have to quit smoking?A: No, Clarian is not asking you to quit using tobacco.But you cannot smoke on the campus and you arestrongly encouraged to refrain from smoking duringwork hours, including during rest and lunch breaks,even when you are off campus. If you smoke off campusand then return to work with particles of tobaccosmoke in your hair, clothing and on your skin, sensitivepatients or colleagues who are exposed to those particulatesmay become ill as a result.However, if you are interested in quitting, a numberof resources are available to help you quit, includingthe Clarian Tobacco Control Center (962-9662);Methodist Medical Group (962-2549); GeorgetownMedical Plaza (962-2549); East Washington MedicalPlaza (962-2549); Glendale Medical Plaza (962-2549);Healthy Results for You (962-1792); Try to Stop(trytostop.org); National Quitline ((800) QUITNOW)and Tobacco Free Nurses (tobaccofreenurses.org/).continued on page 6Survivaltips forsmokersNo one denies that getting through an eight- or12-hour shift without nicotine is going to bedifficult for anyone addicted to the powerfuldrug.“Tell your coworkers and colleagues howthey can help support you,” advises PattyHollingsworth, manager of the Healthy Resultsfor You program. Most people understand thatsmokers are struggling in an increasinglysmoke-free world.Over-the-counter nicotine replacementproducts like nicotine-replacement gum andlozenges will be available for purchase atClarian gift shops and pharmacies by July 1,and will be available for purchase in the hospitalcafeterias when the gift shops are closed.Sam Flanders, MD, senior vice president ofmedical quality for Clarian, notes that employeeswho smoke will be able to “feel good aboutthe fact that they don’t have the smell of smokeon their clothes, so they are not running therisk of passing a chemotherapy patient whomight become nauseated by the smell of smokeon them, or of triggering an attack in a personwith asthma.”And it might help to think about the moneyyou are saving by smoking fewer cigarettes. Tryto keep track of the cigarettes you no longersmoke under the new policy. Figure out howmuch money you are saving and do somethingspecial for yourself with the money that wouldotherwise have gone for tobacco products.And when all else fails, try to maintain asense of humor. Laughter can go a long waytoward relieving stress.Keep a sense of humor. Laughter can helprelieve stress.