Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, will no longer be hiring smokers and will conduct nicotine testing for all potential employees of the hospital, according to a Des Moines Register news report.
The policy will go into effect July 1, though it will not affect any current hospital employees. The policy will also not affect any healthcare providers that are not directly employed by the hospital, including physicians who have privileges at the hospital but are independent practitioners or work for other healthcare companies, according to the news report.
Any prospective employees, whose nicotine tests that return positive results, can undergo another nicotine testing after six months. According to hospital officials, the policy stems from "an obligation to set a good example for the communities we serve," according to the news report.
Read the news report about the smoking ban at Mercy Medical Center.
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The policy will go into effect July 1, though it will not affect any current hospital employees. The policy will also not affect any healthcare providers that are not directly employed by the hospital, including physicians who have privileges at the hospital but are independent practitioners or work for other healthcare companies, according to the news report.
Any prospective employees, whose nicotine tests that return positive results, can undergo another nicotine testing after six months. According to hospital officials, the policy stems from "an obligation to set a good example for the communities we serve," according to the news report.
Read the news report about the smoking ban at Mercy Medical Center.
Related Articles on Smoking Bans at Hospitals:
Joint Commission, Henry Ford Health System Help Hospitals Go Smoke-Free
Court Upholds Smoking Ban at Pennsylvania's ACMH Hospital
Where There's No Smoke, There's Still Fire: Repercussions of Smoker-Free Hospitals