Springfield, Pa. – Crozer-Keystone Health System has made a system-wide effort to enforce smoking policies and regulations at all of its hospitals and has increased its smoking cessation education efforts in order to further educate the community on the benefits of quitting smoking.

All five hospitals in the Crozer-Keystone Health System offer smoking cessation counseling and cessation aids to patients. If a patient decides to participate in the counseling and elects to use the cessation aids their primary physician is contacted in an effort to encourage continued cessation following their hospital stay.

All patients and employees that smoke are encouraged to participate in the American Lung Association’s “Freedom From Smoking,” program, an eight-session course offered by Crozer-Keystone Health System. The programs are offered free of charge through funds provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, in collaboration with the Delaware County Office of Behavioral Health. The program helps participants understand their habit, set a quit date, identify the triggers of their addiction, learn the components of a cigarette and how it affects the body, and learn to self-monitor themselves. Nicotine replacement therapy is also available for those who qualify.

Crozer-Keystone Health System also offers three additional programs: “Love thy Neighbor,” End Nicotine Dependence (END) and Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU). 

Partnering with St. Luke’s, Bethany Baptist and Shiloh Baptist churches in Chester, Crozer-Keystone offers “Love thy Neighbor,” a faith-based African American program that offers counseling to people who want to quit smoking.

The END program provides youth prevention and cessation education in high schools and middle schools in 10 local school districts. In addition, TATU is a smoking prevention program presented in the Upper Darby School District. Seniors from Upper Darby High School develop projects on smoking and present them to middle school kids as part of their senior projects.

In addition to the system-wide initiatives, each hospital has made individual efforts to encourage its patients and employees to quit smoking.

Taylor Hospital has formed a smoke-free committee of employee smokers and nonsmokers to develop a smoking policy in an effort to address the needs of both smoking and nonsmoking patients and employees. Taylor also offers cessation counseling to patients, and enforces a 50-foot policy—no one can smoke within 50 feet of hospital property.

In addition to offering smoking cessation counseling and cessation aid assistance, Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Springfield Hospital also strictly enforce a 50-foot policy. Crozer and Springfield have implemented a smoking policy that addresses patient, employee and visitors’ feedback on smoking around the facility, health concerns associated with smoking, and cessation support. Smoking shelters were constructed as designated smoking areas and smoke-free areas are strictly enforced.

Delaware County Memorial Hospital and Community Hospital continue to educate their patients and employees about smoking cessation through educational programs, initiatives and by offering counseling to their patients. DCMH also constructed smoking shelters and enforces the smoke-free zone.

For more information about Crozer-Keystone Health System smoking cessation programs, call 1-800-CK-HEALTH (1-800-254-3258) or visit www.crozer.org.