LMHS launches second phase of Tobacco Free Lee Campaign

Lee Memorial Health System is one step closer to going completely tobacco free as a health system. Phase II of the System's Tobacco Free Lee campaign started June 19 and will greatly reduce the smoking areas at each of the system's locations.

Employees, physicians, patients and visitors who choose to smoke are being asked to move out of high-traffic areas into newly designated smoking areas. These will be temporary smoking areas until Nov. 19, when all tobacco products will be prohibited from LMHS properties. Maps detailing the new temporary smoking locations are available at the hospitals for patients, family members, employees and physicians.

"Lee Memorial Health System is going tobacco free because it enables us to continue to meet our mission to improve the health status of the citizens of Southwest Florida by supporting a tobacco free environment and a healthy workplace," said Jim Nathan, president of Lee Memorial Health System. "This is an opportunity to be a leader in the community when it comes to caring not only for our own health and well-being, but also for the community members we treat on a daily basis."

Three other Southwest Florida local hospitals and/or health systems have also agreed to go tobacco free on Nov. 19, including Lehigh Regional Medical Center, Physicians Regional Healthcare System and NCH Healthcare System. This means all hospitals in Lee and Collier will be tobacco free in November.

Successful hospitals and health systems who have already gone through the transition to be tobacco free have found that it is better to transition in phases rather than expecting employees, patients and visitors to completely cut out tobacco overnight.

The "Tobacco Free Lee" project team, LMHS leadership and the LMHS Board of Directors chose to follow the experience of successful tobacco free campuses by slowly rolling out the process with small changes in the System's policies and procedures, rather than a major change all at once.

Tobacco Free Lee means that as of Nov. 19, all forms of tobacco, including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco like chewing tobacco or dip, will be prohibited from use on Lee Memorial Health System properties both owned and leased.