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Allegheny Health Network Approves Smoking Ban

PITTSBURGH (KDKA)- The Allegheny Health Network has announced that its hospital campuses will be going smoke-free.

Employees were told about the policy change in recent weeks. According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, the policy bans smoking on hospital or medical facility grounds.

Smoking has long been restricted at the Allegheny Health Network hospitals, but the health system decided to create the ban to promote healthier living.

"We are implementing a tobacco free campus policy across all of our health network, hospitals, physician offices, any facility associated with Allegheny Health Network," Allegheny Health Network Spokesman Dan Laurent said.

Jefferson Hospital and St. Vincent Hospital have already prohibited smoking for several years.

The health system is reaching out to employees who smoke with free cessation classes.

"This doesn't prohibit our employees from smoking, it prohibits our employees and visitors from smoking on our campuses," Laurent said.

The Allegheny Health Network's smoking ban goes into place on Jan. 1, 2015.

"We are going to strictly enforce it, but I'm not going to discuss disciplinary action," Laurent said.

Their biggest crosstown rival, UPMC, adopted a smoke-free campus policy back in 2007.

On July 1, UPMC  began prohibiting employees from smoking during work hours.

RELATED LINKS:
UPMC's Smoke-Free Shift Policy Goes Into Effect (7/1/14)
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