St. Christopher's Hospital for Children Going Smoke-Free in 2009

In keeping with a commitment to provide the highest quality of care, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children will become a smoke-free campus beginning Jan. 1.

As part of St. Christopher's effort to provide a healthy environment for its patients, guests, physicians, and employees, smoking will no longer be permitted anywhere on hospital property, which includes all outdoor areas, parking lots and inside the parking garage. All designated smoking areas and shelters will be eliminated.

The hospital will support the efforts of those who are ready to quit smoking by offering a number of options including nicotine replacement gum for sale in the pharmacy and smoking cessation classes. For more information about the hospital's new policy or smoking cessation classes, call 1-888-ST CHRIS.

About Smoking:

Nearly 90 percent of all lung cancer cases can be attributed to smoking. Smoking can also lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and emphysema. But smokers are not the only ones affected; the second-hand smoke that non-smokers may breathe in contains approximately 250 harmful chemicals, including more than 50 that can cause cancer.

Secondhand smoke is especially dangerous for children. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke run a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections, colds, pneumonia, as well as more frequent and severe bouts of asthma. These illnesses result in 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations annually.