November 09, 2007 | More News VALLEY HEALTH TO BECOME TOBACCO-FREE NOVEMBER 15New Policy Goes into Effect on Great American Smokeout® Day   Winchester, VA – Effective November 15, Valley Health will prohibit the use of tobacco products by anyone anywhere on its properties. The initiative builds on the policy in effect since July of this year banning tobacco use by employees on Valley Health property.         “We are committed to improving the health of the people we serve,” said Wes Williams, Vice President of Marketing & Community Relations at Valley Health and chair of the employee task force charged with implementing the change. “CDC data tells us that one in five deaths are related to smoking, and the dangers of second-hand smoke have been known for years. As a healthcare organization we feel that creating a tobacco-free zone around our facilities is the right thing to do.”       Increasingly, healthcare organizations across the country are joining public facilities, workplaces, and restaurants in prohibiting tobacco use. Valley Health officials chose the November 15 implementation date to coincide with the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout®, held the third Thursday every November. For 30 years, the Smokeout has encouraged smokers to look at their habit and focus on cutting back or quitting for one day or longer.     The new policy will apply to employees, physicians, visitors, patients, and contractors on Valley Health’s three hospital campuses (Winchester Medical Center, Warren Memorial Hospital, and Shenandoah Memorial Hospital) and other properties owned or operated by Valley Health, including Winchester Rehabilitation Center, Valley Home Care, Urgent Care and Quick Care.     “As stewards of health in our communities, I think this initiative is long overdue,” noted Patrick Nolan, President of Warren Memorial Hospital, a Valley Health affiliate in Front Royal. “We went tobacco-free with our employees back in July because we felt a responsibility to be a role model. The response has been very positive, with a number of employees quitting altogether or cutting back on use. We feel this is a good time, in conjunction with the Great American Smokeout®, to expand the policy to include patients and all other visitors to our campus.”     The health impacts of all forms of tobacco use include lung, esophageal, oral and other cancers, as well as heart disease, stroke and lung disease.     “We fully support Valley Health’s decision to become a tobacco-free organization,” said James Warner, MD, cardiologist and medical director of the Heart & Vascular Center at Winchester Medical Center. “A large number of my heart patients are smokers and smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease. While cardiologists can offer great medical and technological care, our patients can help themselves much more for the long term by simply stopping smoking. If a smoker stops today, his risk of a future heart attack will be the same as a nonsmoker in about seven years.”     Valley Health’s new tobacco-free policy does not pressure smokers to quit, but requests they refrain from tobacco use while a guest on the property. At the same time, the organization encourages those interested in kicking the habit to consider support resources including:    - Free one-hour tobacco cessation information sessions at Valley Health’s Health Depot store at Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester. Offered the second Saturday of each month from 11 am – 12 noon, and the third Thursday from 7 pm - 8 pm. Call 540-536-4700 or 800-622-7831.    - Quit for Good, a 10-week Valley Health program offered one-on-one and in small groups to help smokers through the quitting process. Learn about the stages of change, personal triggers for tobacco use, and techniques for success. For registration details, call 540-536-2246 (Winchester) or 540-636-0263 (Front Royal).    - Quit Now Virginia, the Virginia Department of Health’s 24-hour bilingual phone counseling hotline, offers advice, self-help materials and referrals: (800) QUIT-NOW.