Triangle Hospitals Go Tobacco-Free On Independence Day

Business Wire, June 29, 2007

RESEARCH TRIANGLE, N.C. -- On the day that celebrates independence and freedom, North Carolina's three major Triangle area health systems will declare tobacco-free campuses for their patients, visitors and employees. The three health systems, including Duke University Health System, UNC Health Care and WakeMed Health & Hospitals, will officially become 100 percent tobacco-free on July 4. Combined, these three health systems employ nearly 40,000 health care workers and serve nearly 3,000,000 patients, from all 100 counties in North Carolina.

While the hospitals have banned the use of tobacco products inside their buildings for several years, the new policies will prohibit the use of tobacco products anywhere on hospital property for employees, physicians, patients, visitors and any person on the properties. Hospitals included in these systems are Duke University Hospital, Duke Health Raleigh Hospital, Durham Regional Hospital, Rex Healthcare, UNC Hospitals, WakeMed Raleigh Campus, WakeMed Cary Hospital and WakeMed North Healthplex. Outlying and ancillary facilities included in these health systems will also operate as completely tobacco-free.

Duke Medicine, UNC Health Care, and WakeMed Health & Hospitals join almost 50 percent of the hospitals in North Carolina, and a growing number of health care facilities across the nation, which have already made the decision to go tobacco-free. This action supports the mission of the Triangle area hospitals to promote health and wellness in the community.

The health systems recognize that many patients, their families and loved ones use tobacco, and are therefore asking the community to please come prepared with nicotine replacement therapy products or refrain from using tobacco while on the property. Each of the hospitals will continue to provide cessation education for patients and employees interested in quitting the use of tobacco. Resources are also available to all members of the community through the Quit Now NC! tobacco use quit line 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). Each facility has also issued a series of protocols for staff to follow when a patient or visitor requests smoking cessation assistance.

About Duke University Health System

Duke University Health System is a world-class network dedicated to employing Duke's strengths in patient care, education, and research to enhance and improve health care throughout North Carolina and southern Virginia. The Health System, founded in 1998 to provide efficient, responsive care while responding to the changing health care environment, has created partnerships between Duke University Hospital and other high-quality health care organizations and provides world-class healthcare services across the entire continuum of care, from wellness to hospice. Duke University Hospital is ranked in the top ten hospitals in the country according to U.S. News and World Report, and has achieved Magnet Recognition, ranking nursing care among the top two percent in the country. Duke Raleigh Hospital was the first hospital in North Carolina to receive the Hallmark Award for Healthy Workplaces from the North Carolina Nursing Association. For more information, visit www.dukemedicine.org.

About UNC Health Care

The UNC Health Care System is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care. UNC Health Care is comprised of UNC Hospitals, ranked consistently among the best medical centers in the country; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; community practices; home health and hospice services in seven central North Carolina counties; and Rex Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County. For more information, visit www.unchealthcare.org.

Rex Healthcare is a private, not-for-profit healthcare system, with 4,000 employees. Its main Rex Hospital campus in west Raleigh is a 665-bed facility (433 general acute beds, 6 inpatient hospice and 226 skilled nursing) treating more than 26,000 inpatients each year. Rex offers dedicated centers for family birth, cancer, post acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, heart and vascular, same-day surgery and wellness, plus dedicated clinics for pain management, sleep disorders, diabetes education and state-of-the-art emergency services. Rex provides various healthcare services throughout Wake County with facilities in Cary, Apex, Garner, Wakefield and downtown Raleigh. Recently Rex was rated as one of 17 hospitals in the country and the only hospital in North Carolina with better than average survival for heart attacks. Rex is also the first hospital in the Triangle, and one of only 10 in North Carolina to receive Magnet Recognition, which places Rex nurses among the top two percent in the country.

About WakeMed Health & Hospitals

WakeMed Health & Hospitals, one of the first hospital systems in the country, is a private, not-for-profit health care organization based in Raleigh, N.C. The 851-bed system comprises a network of health care facilities throughout Wake and Johnston Counties, including: a Level I Trauma Center and tertiary referral hospital and rehabilitation hospital in Raleigh, a community hospital in Cary, a comprehensive outpatient center and freestanding emergency department in North Raleigh, seven outpatient rehabilitation sites, two skilled-nursing and outpatient facilities, a 100 -physician multispecialty practice, and home health services. The system includes two accredited Chest Pain Centers and one JCAHO-certified Stroke Center. Throughout the system, there are an additional 118 beds under construction. WakeMed also provides management services for Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital in Dunn, NC. Centers of excellence include cardiac and vascular care, women's and children's services, physical rehab, emergency and trauma, orthopaedics, neurosciences, home care and numerous wellness and community outreach programs. WakeMed's team of 7,000 nurses, technologists and medical support staff and more than 1,000 affiliated physicians serve the residents of North Carolina using the most advanced technologies and facilities to ensure the finest in health care. For more information, visit www.wakemed.org.