Hospitals plan for tobacco-free grounds

Representatives from CoxHealth, Doctors Hospital, The Kitchen Clinic, Lakeland Regional Hospital, Skaggs Community Health Center and St. John’s Health System gathered at the Springfield-Greene County Health Department to detail the tobacco-free initiative.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is in the process of finalizing a regulation that would ensure all health care locations are tobacco-free. Rules would apply to all patients, family members and co-workers at virtually all Missouri hospitals.

Under the regulation, facilities would need to be completely tobacco-free to maintain their licenses.

The Missouri Hospital Association has asked all Missouri facilities to enact the new smoking rules by Sept. 1.