Tobacco-Free Kick-Off Celebration on February 14

Good Samaritan Hospital will become a smoke-free, tobacco-free campus as of Independence Day, July 4.  To help us kick off the drive toward tobacco independence, all employees of Good Samaritan Hospital are invited to a “Let’s Clear the Air” kick-off celebration on February 14 in the hospital auditorium. 

This celebration will be held in the Good Samaritan auditorium from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.  In addition, we will be presenting our plan for several months of smoke/tobacco-free awareness-raising events as we ramp up to our smoke free campus date of July 4, 2007. 
 
Tobacco users and non-users alike will be invited to sign the hospital’s Declaration of Independence from Tobacco to signify their pledge to remain tobacco-free or try to quit their tobacco habits.   This is just one of a series of momentum-building events with the “Let’s Clear the Air” theme planned for the months leading up to July 4 to make staff, physicians, patients and visitors aware and accepting of this initiative as the policy takes effect. 

The kick-off celebration will feature food, drinks, and comments by physicians and local organizations who can help employees and others with kicking the tobacco habit.  

Additionally, local tobacco cessation groups will have tables with information on how to quit or how to help someone else quit, sign-up sheets to pair tobacco users looking to quit with reformed tobacco users and non-users that can provide support, details on local tobacco cessation classes, and free tobacco-use substitutes that have worked for people who have successfully quit.

A healthy lifestyle is good for everyone, and Good Samaritan is dedicated to not only clearing the air at the campus, but encouraging people to quit while offering a variety of ways and support to do so.