News & Events: Media Releases

JHC is officially a non smoking campus

12 December 2008

As of January 1 2009 Joondalup Health Campus is following the State Government's lead by prohibiting smoking at the hospital and within the boundaries of its grounds.

Signs are currently being erected throughout the hospital’s grounds, whilst educational material is being circulated to staff and patients.

Mr Steve Nation, risk manager explained that Joondalup is in its final phase of implementing its non smoking strategy on campus. 

“We started off assigning designated smoking areas within the hospital. We are now removing these areas all together. If staff, patients and visitors want to smoke they will need to leave the hospital grounds, he explained.

“If patients want to smoke, staff will not be allowed to help them leave the grounds.”

Steve explained that there is no safe level of exposure to environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and medical evidence has confirmed that exposure to tobacco smoke is a cause of heart disease, cancer and bronchitis and can worsen the effects of asthma.

“This policy is not intended to stop people smoking but rather to protect others from ETS,” he explained.

“We are in the business of saving lives here at Joondalup, so it's our responsibility to provide our staff, visitors and patients with a smoke free environment.”

Staff and patients who would like assistance with quitting smoking will however be offered free nicotine replacement therapy.

To usher in this new era of cleaner air, JHC staff undertook the ‘Fresh Start’ initiative. Volunteers walked around the hospital grounds filling up empty water bottles with old cigarette butts. These bottles have been set up in the hospital foyer, making up part of an educational display.