Rachel,

While I realize you only cover Denver, because our hospitals are across the metro area, I asked all of them � and our responses below reflect that� For Aurora and Englewood, the lack of city support has certainly hindered efforts to enforce the ban on our campuses in those communities.  Denver�s support of the ban helps its success. 

 

 

1.    Was the ban effective in eliminating smoking on the public right-of-way adjoining your hospital and all its relevant buildings, especially near patient entrances and exits?

a.    There has been some improvement but it requires constant attention to tell smokers that we are tobacco-free on  our campuses and about the smoking ban on surrounding city property.  We still have smokers on campus who light up adjacent to the �no smoking� signs!  Because this is not a priority enforcement by the City (any city), the ban on public/city rights of way is not as effective as what we can enforce on our own property.  Additionally, we have far more control over our employees� behavior than on our visitors and patients.

 

2.    Have you had any concerns � negative or positive � about impacts of the ban?  Please explain.

a.    Going tobacco-free on our campuses was a positive initiative and we are glad we did so.  Denver�s support of the ban has been very important for P/SL and Rose � as I mentioned above, in our communities that did not support the ban, we�ve had less effectiveness.   The ban has not caused a problem when communicated to smokers.  The burden, however, has been laid completely on the hospitals, and we need help in keeping vigilance.

 

3.    Has your facility received any comments from patients and/or visitors on the smoking ban? Please be specific. How have you have responded?

a.    Rose received a comment from a person who uses the park across the street from the hospital about the number of cigarette butts that are littering the park.  Rose responded by having our EVS employees round at the park and sweep up any butts.  We have also communicated on multiple occasions our good neighbor policy to our own employees.   Those who do not like the ban are far more vocal � they tend to claim their rights are being infringed. But, the majority of visitors are compliant once told about the ban and asked not to smoke.

 

4.    Has your facility received any comments from neighbors about patients, visitors or staff leaving hospital property to smoke and to intrude on the neighborhood with noise, garbage, loitering, and so on? Please be specific.

a.    Each of our hospital campuses have had complaints from neighbors about an increase of cigarette smokers on or near their property � and about the increase in cigarette butts left behind.  Each of our hospitals have had to increase patrols and do some cleaning of city/neighboring property.  Most of the culprits are not our employees � but most often they are visitors or tenants in our medical office buildings.  We continue to communicate about the ban.  The city needs to help with cleaning and enforcement.  

 

 

5.    How did you implement your good neighbor policy? What worked and what would you change? Please send me a copy of the policy.

a.    All of our hospitals prior to the implementation of the tobacco free policy conducted Town Hall meetings where we spoke with employees about the policy and about the good neighbor policy.  We did continual rounding on the outside areas to see if employees are smoking and where.  If we found that employees were not being good neighbors we addressed it with them.  All of our hospitals continue to keep open communication with surrounding neighborhoods and neighborhood associations and try to be responsive when complaints about cigarette butts and smokers occur.  Some hospitals added fences and alarmed doors to make it more difficult for people to migrate to some areas to smoke.

 

6.    Based on your experiences over the past 18 months, do you have suggestions to improve the ban on smoking around City hospitals? 

a.    The responsibility for communicating the ban on smoking does not just belong to the hospital.  Any communication of the ban from the City is also of great importance.  There have been a few people who stated that they knew their rights and did not want to cooperate with us.  The number of people who took this stance was minor.   But, we would appreciate the city taking part in communicating & enforcing the ban.

 

7.    Has the ban helped you to better serve your patients?  Has it affected your professional ratings on hospital quality?

a.    I am not certain that we have the ability to demonstrate that the ban has helped serve our patients better, nor had any impact on quality ratings.  We believe that making the campus tobacco free has done a better job of giving patients & visitors a better “first impression” and certainly reinforces our health & wellness mission.  There was more of an issue of patients and visitors having to pass through veils of smoke more immediately outside of our doors than on the sidewalks surrounding the hospital.  There are some instances where there has been a problem with people smoking outside of the door of the Medical Office Buildings, which are frequently located by city sidewalks.  We have posted signs and round on the area to prevent this problem. 

 

8.    Is there anything else you think I should know about the smoking ban around City hospitals?

a.    I think that the ban should continue but with the realization that it has mixed effectiveness. 

 

 

 

 

Ms. Kanamine:

 

Please see the attached letter from Denver City Councilwoman Carol Boigon. A hard copy will follow shortly in the mail.

 

Thank you,

Rachel A. Kurtz-Phelan
Council Aide
Councilmember Carol Boigon
City Council At-large
(720) 865-8100
rachel.kurtz-phelan@ci.denver.co.us

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