The policy prohibits new hires from using all types of nicotine, including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes and nicotine patches and gum. Prospective employees will be tested for nicotine with a urine test and if they fail, they must wait 90 days to reapply.
Current hospital employees will be tested for nicotine with the current drug-screening program. The hospital will reach out to employees who test positive for nicotine to address the issue from an educational perspective, according to the report.
Approximately 8 to 12 percent of the hospitals 4,000-member staff are smokers, Jennifer Holland, the director of occupational health for the hospital told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
“We continue to see medical plans [costs] go up every year, which suggests that we’re not necessarily getting healthier. Smoking is one of those things we can control,” Ms. Holland said.
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