Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Announces Smoking Ban

HAMILTON, NEW JERSEY – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJ Hamilton) will celebrate a very special Independence Day this year: independence from smoke and its damaging effects. Effective July 4, 2008, RWJ Hamilton and all affiliated buildings and practices will become totally smoke-free.

While smoking has been banned for years within RWJ Hamilton's buildings, the new smoke-free initiative will apply to anywhere on campus: exterior grounds, parking lots and all related buildings, including the RWJ Hamilton Center for Health & Wellness, RWJ Hamilton at Ewing, the SleepCare Center, Lakeview Child Care Centers, OB/GYN offices in Hamilton and Lawrenceville and RWJ Hamilton Diagnostic and Treatment Center at Columbus (opening this summer).

Locally, RWJ Hamilton will become one of the area’s first healthcare providers to become completely smoke-free. "There is no denying the evidence that tobacco smoke is hazardous to the health of the smoker and those exposed to second-hand smoke. This is a preventable risk, and as it is our mission to promote, preserve and restore the health of our community, we believe that creating a totally smoke-free environment is an important step in honoring this mission," says RWJ Hamilton President and CEO Ellen Guarnieri.

The smoke-free policy will apply to employees, physicians, volunteers, patients, visitors, vendors, contractors, subcontractors and others—in short, anyone who works or visits RWJ Hamilton.

"While we are not requiring employees, physicians on staff and volunteers to quit smoking, we are encouraging it," Guarnieri says. "We also understand that tobacco use is a chemical addiction and want to offer our assistance to those who choose to quit. In conjunction with our community education department, RWJ Hamilton offers a variety of smoking cessation classes, seminars and programs to assist anyone who is interested in smoking cessation."

Thinking of quitting? For information and support, visit The RWJ Hamilton Quit Center.

More About RWJ Hamilton
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJ Hamilton) is the only New Jersey hospital to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Located in Hamilton Township, NJ, the hospital is part of the RWJ Health System and Network and is affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey-RWJ Medical School and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

The RWJ Hamilton Health Care Corporation serves communities within a five-county area and includes an acute care hospital, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton, three affiliated medical groups, seven Lakeview Child Centers, and the RWJ Hamilton Center for Health & Wellness, home of a medically-based fitness center and the hospital's extensive community education program. Over 1,900 hospital employees and 650 medical staff physicians share RWJ Hamilton's passion for Excellence Through Service. For more information, visit www.rwjhamilton.org.