Blue Ridge HealthCare Hospitals Go Tobacco-Free
Policy Goes Into Effect Feb. 14

Click here to view this story as it appeared in the Morganton News Herald (Includes additional graphics and information) in pdf format.

BY ANNA WILSON

FOR THE NEWS HERALD

Blue Ridge HealthCare’s Grace and Valdese Hospitals will become tobacco-free on Feb. 14, 2006, meaning no smoking or use of other tobacco products will be permitted anywhere on the two hospital campuses.

“Blue Ridge HealthCare has decided to be a role model in promoting healthy lifestyles and encouraging freedom from tobacco use in our community,” said Ken Wood, BRHC President and CEO.

BRHC has joined with Catawba Valley Medical Center, Caldwell Memorial Hospital, Cannon Memorial Hospital, Frye Regional Medical Center and Watauga Medical Center in promoting a common goal of having smoke free campuses.

Creating tobacco-free environments at area hospitals and medical centers should provide a number of benefits including reducing tobacco consumption, protecting non-smokers from second-hand smoke exposure and protecting children and those with asthma and other disabilities that are affected by smoke.

“Most importantly,” Wood said, “tobacco-free facilities will demonstrate our commitment to protecting the health of our employees, patients, and visitors.”

Employees, medical staff and hospital volunteers who use tobacco are not required to quit, but only refrain from using tobacco products while on Blue Ridge HealthCare properties, which also include Grace Ridge Retirement Community, Grace Heights and College Pines Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, and Phifer Wellness Center.

Even though the ban doesn’t go into effect until Feb. 14, more than 150 employees already have signed up for the Nicotine Replacement Therapy Program. One of those is Alice Greene, an employee at Grace Ridge. She and a group of about eight others decided to stop smoking completely on Feb. 1, but Greene has already started using a nicotine patch. She is down from a pack a day to only five cigarettes.

“That patch is a good way to go,” she said. “You don’t have the withdrawal symptoms like irritability and craving.”

The group formed to encourage each other in their quest to quit. “We’ve really bonded,” Greene said. “Now we’re trying to decide what to do on our breaks instead of smoking. We thought about walking instead.”

Patients, patient family members, visitors and vendors will also be required to honor the tobacco-free policy when on hospital properties including the parking lots and grounds. To help the general public kick the habit, Blue Ridge HealthCare provides Quit Smart smoking cessation classes. Quit Smart uses a three-session program and combines a variety of techniques to help a smoker quit smoking including nicotine fading, hypnosis, a cigarette substitute and medication recommendations.

“The success rate for this program is higher than other programs on the market, making it more likely for you to quit and stay quit,” said Brandi Behlke, BRHC’s Tobacco Prevention Coordinator.

The cost of the class is $25 and the next session will start Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. at Phifer Wellness Center. The other two classes will be held Feb. 15 and Feb. 17. Registration is required and can be made by calling Behlke at 580-6728. A session starts each month so if you’re unable to attend in February, call Behlke for additional dates.

Don’t Let Your New Year’s Resolution Go Up in Smoke
Quitline NC can help tobacco users to successfully quit

Every New Year’s Eve millions of Americans resolve to quit smoking, but pick up their cigarettes again in a matter of weeks or even days.

“This year can be different because of a new service that is available to all state residents,” said Blue Ridge HealthCare’s Tobacco Prevention Coordinator Brandi Behlke.

“The North Carolina Tobacco Use Quitline is now available to offer free support services to those who want to quit.”

By calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) tobacco users can get help with their addiction. The quitline helps by offering advice, support and referrals to local cessation resources. “Scientific evidence shows that quitlines are effective tools to help tobacco users quit,” Behlke said.

Tobacco use is the Number 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 440,000 Americans each year. It is also the top cause of preventable death in North Carolina, and is a leading cause for deadly cancers and debilitating illnesses including: lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, asthma, blindness, leukemia and cancers of the throat, bladder, larynx, kidney, pancreas, cervix and many more.

“Quitting tobacco is the single most important thing an individual can do to prolong their life,” Behlke said.

And while studies show that most tobacco users want to quit, many are unable to overcome their addiction.

The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF), in partnership with the NC Division of Public Health (DPH), recently launched the first state-funded Quitline service.

“While the Quitline is available to everyone, the Health and Wellness Trust Fund is especially concerned that we help our teens and young adults get off tobacco,” said Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue, HWTF chair. “We want to help raise the first tobacco-free generation in North Carolina.”

Quitline NC is available daily, 8 a.m. until midnight. Trained quit coaches help tailor a cessation plan for each tobacco user who wants assistance - including those who use spit tobacco. Coaching is available in English, Spanish and a variety of other languages.

For more information, visit www.QuitlineNC.com or call Blue Ridge Healthcare at 580-6728.

Visit www.HealthwellNC.com for more information on The NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund.

Let Us Help

For more information on how to quit, getting started or what options are available to you, call Brandi Behlke at 580-6728.

Or on the web, visit www.smokefree.gov for online guides to getting started. This Web site offers science-driven tools, information, and support that has helped smokers quit. You will find state and national resources, free materials, and quitting advice from the National Cancer Institute and its partners.

Call the free North Carolina Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).

Call the National Cancer Institute’s Smoking Quitline1-877-44U-QUIT (1-877-448-7848).

The second largest employer in Burke County, Blue Ridge HealthCare serves a four-county area and includes Grace and Valdese hospitals, Blue Ridge Home HealthCare, Grace Heights and College Pines Health & Rehabilitation Centers, Grace Ridge Retirement Community, Phifer Wellness Center and a number of physician practices.