Press Releases

St. Clair County's three hospitals strive to improve health of the communities with tobacco-free campuses

St. Clair County, MI -- Tobacco use is the leading cause of disease and death in the United States. The use of tobacco kills more people in St. Clair County than AIDS, alcohol, auto accidents, fires, cocaine, heroine, murders and suicides combined.

In keeping with their missions to improve health in their communities, all three hospitals in St. Clair County, with support from the St. Clair County Health Department, will be tobacco-free as of January 1, 2007.

Currently the hospitals do not allow smoking in their facilities, but do provide designated smoking areas on their campuses. These designated areas will not exist after December 31, 2006.

Elimination of smoking on the campus does away with second hand smoke exposure and also helps to reduce known triggers for those individuals who have quit or are attempting to quit smoking.

The goal is: No smoking or use of tobacco products on the campuses and the offsite locations of Mercy Hospital, Port Huron Hospital and St. John River District Hospital. This policy includes employees, clinicians, visitors and patients.

A task force with representatives of Mercy Hospital, Port Huron Hospital, St. John River District Hospital and the St. Clair County Health Department has been formed to plan the implementation of the smoke-free initiative, which affects sites operated by the three hospitals in St. Clair, Sanilac and Macomb counties. The We Three Smoke FREE project was initiated by Infectious Disease Specialist John Brooks, MD, with the cooperation of the hospitals and the health department. Members of the task force are examining options for how the transition will take place and how the hospitals can help staff and patients, their family members and residents of the community stop smoking.

Although plans are in the preliminary stages of program development, it is anticipated that several smoking cessation services will be available as early as mid-October to help employees, patients and members of the community stop smoking. These programs will be an extension of the many services that all three hospitals offer throughout the year to improve health in their communities.