New signs another step towards becoming a smoke-free hospital

A new set of signs are being installed around the hospital to remind everyone not to smoke near our main entrances. They are in response to feedback from our patients and families, staff and volunteers who are concerned about the number of people who sometimes smoke outside of our three designated smoking shelter areas.

“As a Patient Experience Advisor at the Cancer Centre, I am not proud when I see cancer patients and their families walk through smoke at the front entrance,” says Kerry Stewart. “They are fighting for their lives, and yet at the very place where they must go for care, they are frequently exposed to cigarette smoke. I appreciate KGH’s help to make passage into the Cancer Centre safer for sick patients.”

The new “No Smoking” signs will soon be visible at all of the entrances and benches around the hospital.

Along with generating dangerous smoke, cigarettes also create a lot of garbage that has to cleaned up.

“We have dedicated staff who start picking up cigarette butts at 6 a.m. every day. They continue to work around the perimeter of the hospital and pick up more than 1,600 discarded cigarettes a day,” said Gary Greene, Manager of Plant Operations and Maintenance Services.

To help with this task, new cigarette butt canisters have also been installed in key locations around our property.

Meanwhile, the plans to make KGH a smoke-free property by November 1, 2015 are well underway. Engagement with patients and staff is completed and the Smoke Free Committee is finalizing plans for the removal of the three smoking shelters on our property.

To support that, as we get closer to the November 1 deadline, it is important to encourage our patients and team members who smoke to take advantage of our robust smoking cessation program. KGH's smoking cessation program offers patients options and supports should they want to quit while they are in hospital.