What: Duke Health is a 100% Tobacco Free facility (view the tobacco-free policy)

When: Duke Health became Tobacco Free on July 4, 2007; Effective August 1, 2012 Durham City and County adopted an ordinance prohibiting smoking on many sites including government properties, city/county transportation stops, city/county schools and hospitals, including sidewalks abutting school and hospital grounds (view the complete ordinance for full details).

Where: All Duke Health owned and solely-leased properties, both inside and outside of all buildings, on grounds, interior streets and parking structures.

In Durham County, smoking is also banned on county/city grounds, city parks system grounds, city/county bus stops, city/county maintained sidewalks which abut city/county grounds, public school grounds or hospital grounds, etc. See a full listing of areas for which smoking is prohibited by the ban.

Who: All of Duke Health (DUH, DRH, DHRH, SoM, SoN, PRMO, Labs, DHCH, DUAP, PDC). All employees, faculty, patients, visitors, volunteers, students, vendors are subject to the policy

Why: Duke Health's priority is the health and well-being of all constituents within Duke Health and the community we serve. As a healthcare leader, it is critical that Duke Health model, promote, and teach healthy behaviors. As of Spring 2008, 107 of 134 acute care hospitals in NC have passed the 100% tobacco-free campus wide policy. North Carolina has become a national leader in creating hospitals that are tobacco-free campus wide and providing cessation support to employees, patients and visitors.

Expectations of Supervisors/Managers

• Inform: continue to make sure your staff are aware of this on-going initiative and the work place expectations  
• Support: encourage tobacco users amongst your staff to make use of the tobacco cessation and other support resources available through Duke Live For Life, and their personal physician  
• Recognize: employees who have become tobacco-free as a result of their efforts and response to this change in workplace policy  
• Create and foster a "quit-friendly" environment: educate yourself and your staff about the cessation process and how to support those breaking free from tobacco. Engage former tobacco users as advocates.  
• Act responsibly: support the tobacco-free policies by holding all persons accountable, including staff, students, volunteers, patients, visitors, vendors and contractors. Managers are expected to encounter tobacco users on Duke Health owned and solely-leased properties, both inside and outside of all buildings, on grounds, interior streets and parking structures, informing them of our policy and offering tobacco cessation resources.