Tobacco use may send wrong message, but some workers say they need the stress relief
Jump to full article: Chicago Tribune, 2006-12-29
Author: E.A. Torriero Tribune staff reporter
Intro: More than a quarter-century later, despite being a nursing supervisor at a busy trauma center, McCandless has no plans to stop her two-pack-a-day habit. Three to four times during a 12-hour shift, McCandless takes a break and smokes in the hospital's designated area.
She knows the health risks.
"But I like smoking," McCandless, 36, said during a break at Louisville's University Hospital emergency room. "I don't have a desire to quit."
McCandless' quest to smoke at work will likely get tougher in coming months.
Following national smoking-prohibition trends, more and more hospitals are banning smoking on their properties. A recent survey showed about half of the Chicago area's 96 hospitals have done so or are planning for it.
Across America -- even here in the heart of tobacco country -- health-care establishments are fed up with people, including patients hooked to intravenous units and nurses who treat them, smoking on their premises.
As they consider bans, hospitals are becoming more aggressive in persuading their practitioners to stop smoking, not only because of concerns about their health but also because the use of tobacco by health professionals sends a hypocritical message to patients.
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