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Smoke-Free Campus Looks For Healthy Results

Dramatic results of smoke-free law in Colorado has implications for both Hernando and Citrus counties.

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VIRGINIA DIAZ

Hernando Today correspondent

Published: February 5, 2009

Updated: 02/16/2009 01:12 pm

The Citrus-Hernando Tobacco-free Community Initiative partnership took a leap this year when they put a "no nonsense, no smoking anywhere" policy into effect in six area health care facilities.

And, if anyone in the partnership or in the community is looking for evidence that the ban will lead to a heart healthier community, they just have to look west to Pueblo, Colorado.

A smoke-free workplace law went into effect there in 2003 and the results have been dramatic. A long-term study showed that over three years, there was a 41 percent drop in heart attack hospitalizations in Pueblo. During the same period, surrounding areas without such a law showed no change.

Karen Gidden of the Hernando County Health Department took note of the study when it was released on Dec. 31, 2008. Gidden, who is also a member of the Citrus-Hernando Tobacco-free partnership, was very encouraged by the results. "That could be us in five years," she told Hernando Today.

There have been eight other studies of the effect of smoking bans and they all show similar results. But the Pueblo study was the first to track the results of a smoke-free workplace law over the long term. One of the study's authors, Terry Oechacek of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said the startling numbers demonstrate just how "terrible and under-recognized" second-hand smoke is as a cause for heart attacks.

It's way too soon to see any effect from the ban here. The Hernando–Citrus Initiative went into effect on Jan. 1 this year at Brooksville Regional Hospital, Citrus Country Health Department, Citrus Memorial Health System, Oak Hill Hospital, Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center and Spring Hill Regional Hospital.

Smoking is no longer permitted in any of the hospital buildings or anywhere on the grounds. Some 6,000 employees, including doctors, volunteers and vendors, patients and visitors are feeling its impact.

One reason health care leaders chose to take the smoke-free campus route was the magnitude of the health care threat smoking presents in Citrus and Hernando counties. Research shows that 25.7 percent of the population in Citrus County smokes and 27 percent of Hernando's residents have yet to kick the habit. That is higher than the state average of 19.3 percent.

Just prior to the policy going into effect Gidden stated, "We believe we have the responsibility to take the leadership role in this major health issue. Part of that responsibility is to designate these campuses to be smoke free."

Nationally, the smoke-free campus movement began to gain momentum in 2003. Pueblo was one of the first places to get on board with their workplace law. It's estimated now that more than 1,200 local and/or state hospitals, health care systems and clinics have adopted 100 percent smoke-free campus grounds across the country.

Why A Ban?

Smoking bans are designed not just to encourage people to kick the habit, but also to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke which is widely recognized as a cause of lung cancer. Its effect on heart disease is also documented. The CDC attributes an estimated 46,000 heart-related deaths to secondhand smoke every year and about 3,000 lung cancer deaths among non-smokers.

The effects of secondhand smoke on heart disease can be more immediate than in lung cancer. Smoke damages the lining of blood vessels and also increase the kind of blood clotting that leads to heart attacks. Some experts believe that reducing the exposure can cut that risk very quickly.

Some researchers had reservations about the secondhand smoke impact saying that the drop in heart attacks could have been caused by a general decrease in smoking in the Pueblo area overall.

But the fact still remains that the rate of heart attacks dropped from 257 per 100,000 people to 152 and there were no significant changes in surrounding areas.

More Is Better

While the Citrus-Hernando Tobacco-free Community Initiative's ban only covers six health care facilities, the members of the partnership hope that their example — and the hoped for results, will show that widening smoking ban laws as well as the voluntary adoption of smoke-free policies in workplaces will make for a healthier, more productive community while also reducing the high cost of health care.

"The more worksites you see involved in this kind of initiative, the more dramatic result you will see," says Gidden. She and the other partnership members will be meeting over the next couple of weeks to discuss how the ban is working.

In the end, time will tell, but if the results from Pueblo are an example of what can happen, at least two Florida counties can look forward to a heart healthier future.

More Information

If you are one of those 6,000 people affected by the ban, each facility is ready to help. Free 'quit smoking' programs are available.

If you'd like more information, ask at your workplace or call the Citrus or Hernando County Health Departments.

If you are a business owner interested in going 'smoke-free' the Health Departments can offer guidance on how to get the ball rolling.

Citrus County
352-527-5561

Hernando County
352-540-6849

Virginia Diaz writes regularly for the Hernando Today Health Today section. She lives in Brooksville and can be contacted at virginia.diaz61@gmail.com.

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