Duke Health Tobacco Free Policy

Duke Health adopted a smoke free policy in 2007. Areas include all Duke Health owned and solely-leased properties, both inside and outside of all buildings, on grounds, interior streets and parking structures. All employees, faculty, patients, visitors, volunteers, students, vendors are subject to the policy.

Beginning July 1, 2020, Duke’s smoke free policy will be extended to include all buildings or grounds owned or leased by Duke University. The policy will prohibit the use of all tobacco products, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, hookah, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, and IQOS.

For more information about the policy, see the manager toolkit on the Healthy Duke webpage.

Tobacco Use Surcharge

Duke charges a surcharge of $50 each month for employees covered under a Duke medical insurance plan who smoke or use other forms of tobacco. This includes use of nicotine in any form, including electronic cigarettes. The use of a nicotine patch and nicotine gum are not subject to the surcharge. The surcharge does not apply to dependents who use tobacco.

Duke will remove the monthly surcharge when the employee successfully completes the LIVE FOR LIFE tobacco cessation program. Employees paying the tobacco surcharge are required to report having quit tobacco for six full months during their participation with this program. 

Durham County Smoking Ordinance

The Durham County Board of Health Smoking Rule bans smoking or e-cigarette use in many public outdoor and indoor spaces.  More information about the rule can be found on the Durham Public Health Webpage. The rule prohibits smoking at hospital entrances or surrounding sidewalks.

All three DUHS hospitals are tobacco-free campuses and therefore, do not have designated smoking areas. The ordinance does not apply to Wake County and therefore, non-Duke property around Duke Raleigh Hospital is not affected.