Norwood Hospital Campus Bans Tobacco

Norwood Hospital campus will be a completely tobacco-free environment starting Wednesday.

The hospital will no longer contribute to the health risks of cigarettes, which is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, said Emily Holliman, President of Norwood Hospital.

This policy will prohibit the use of all tobacco products, including cigarettes and e-cigarettes, on all grounds of the hospital’s campus and satellite locations.

Norwood Hospital is joining the already smoke-free Massachusetts hospitals including South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth and Heywood Hospital in Gardner.

Smoke-free hospitals lead to greater worker productivity and lower maintenance costs, according to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation.

“Norwood maintains a high incidence of tobacco use and tobacco-related cancers, so as the community’s most significant healthcare provider, it is important that we make every effort to improve these statistics,” Holliman said.

Norwood Hospital is also holding a free smoking-cessation program for residents and hospital employees. For more information about the sessions, call Norwood Hospital Community Benefits at (781) 278-6024.

Through this smoke-free policy, Norwood Hospital looks to create an environment that minimizes health risks and leads to healthy employees, patients and community members.