ARH facilities in Middlesboro are now Tobacco Free

The Middlesboro ARH Hospital has a new campuswide tobacco-free policy. On May 13, 2009, the entire Middlesboro ARH community went tobacco free. As part of this initiative, no tobacco use of any kind is permitted - inside or outside - on ARH property. This initiative included the elimination of designated areas outside Middlesboro ARH where employees, patients and visitors were permitted to use tobacco products.

As a healthcare organization, we are committed to the health and safety of our employees and patients and believe that we have a responsibility to take a leadership role on this major health issue, and establishing our entire campus as tobacco-free firmly supports that belief. Kentucky has the highest rate of adult smokers in the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), each year approximately 440,000 Americans die from diseases caused by smoking and nearly 8,000 are Kentuckians. The US Surgeon General has confirmed that exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke is a serious health hazard and that there is no risk-free level of exposure. Tobacco use in and around hospitals poses health and safety risks for patients, employees and visitors.

Middlesboro ARH's decision to go tobacco-free is a concrete way to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to healthy living.

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