A Tobacco-Free Campus

• Tobacco-free: This term is used to describe both 100-percent Tobacco-free areas as well as segregated and ventilated areas. A truly Tobacco-free environment in a business is one in which no tobacco use is allowed within any company building.
• Campus: This refers to the hospital grounds, including the off-site buildings of Rutland Regional.

Electronic cigarettes, also known as E-Cigarettes, are battery-operated products designed to deliver nicotine, flavor and other chemicals. E-Cigarettes are NOT permitted under the Tobacco-free campus policy.

Tobacco use is prohibited in cars parked on all Rutland Regional properties.

No. This policy is universally applied to everyone and anyone on hospital property, including off-site locations.

Anyone using tobacco products will be respectfully asked to stop and to honor the tobacco-free policy. Tobacco Cessation resources, such as "We Care Kits," are available in the Gift Shop, Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and through Security to help ease discomfort for smokers visiting our campus.

All events occurring on any facility will be covered by the Tobacco-free policy.

If you need to use Tobacco, you will need to leave sight of any Rutland Regional property.

• Providing a place for Tobacco use doesn’t support the mission to sustain and improve the health of individuals in the community.
• Hospitals are expected to be healthy environments, and this approach advances our efforts to provide a healthy and safe environment for patients, visitors, employees, physicians and volunteers.
• Allowing smoking areas would signal approval of smoking, which is not a good health message.
• Rutland Regional can and will lead by example, rather than explaining a shortcoming away.

This campaign targets tobacco use, as a behavior, and its deadly effects on human health. Smoking affects everyone; this is not personal or directed at the smoker or tobacco-products user. Rutland Regional wants to set a true example of a healthy lifestyle and provide a healthy environment for everyone. While a variety of life situations may be viewed as unhealthy, smoking and tobacco use are being addressed due to their significant and direct affects, as highlighted by the following facts:

• Smoking costs the United States approximately $150 billion each year in health care costs and lost productivity
• Smoking is a significant factor in heart disease, cancer, stroke and lung disease
• A smokers broken bones take almost twice as long to heal as a non-smoker
• More than 430,000 people die prematurely each year from smoking-related diseases
• Secondhand smoke can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections and asthma
• Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans
• Secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke

Tobacco is a legal product for adults. Rutland Regional is not forcing anyone to discontinue tobacco-use, however resources and education will be provided in an effort to encourage healthy choices. The new policy supports the right of all people on the campus to breathe Tobacco-free air. Rutland Regional can establish policies for its employees which protect the health and wellness of all employees and visitors who present at our facility. A Tobacco-free policy does not prohibit tobacco use; it merely establishes where use can occur. The simple reason for our policy is respect for each other and the environment. Employees and visitors who choose to continue smoking must do so away from Rutland Regional Medical Center facilities.