The Shame of Cigarette Smoking in the Healthcare System :: Journalism Journalistic Essays Smoke

Smokers in scrubs The shame of cigarette smoking in the healthcare system On a recent thorium morning, while some hospital employees deald cigarettes in Brigham and Womens safe haven known as the butt-hut, others crowded the lobby on Frances Street in Boston to check out the American Cancer Societys The Great American Smoke-Out event. Two women sat behind a folding table handing out informational pamphlets on smoking hazards and ways to kick the fatal habit. Several of the women and men who approached the table for information or signed up to get their lung capacity tested were eating away scrubs, a sign that cigarette smoking is still prevalent among health care employees.Hospitals, including Dana Farber, are starting to now reimburse employees who enroll in a quit-smoking program. In some cases, they get back almost $ 500 for counseling, patches, and nicotine gum, said Jennifer Kelly, who runs the smoking cessation program at Brigham and Womens.The smoking cessation program is of fered to some(prenominal) employees and the public, and provides individual and group counseling, which meets one day a week for eight weeks. Kelly explained that each hour- long session costs $10, however the fee is waived for those with free healthcare benefits or Medicare and all participants of the program receive discounts on nicotine patches and chewing gum. With several Boston area programs designed to rid the habit of the 20% of Massachusetts residence, who smoke and with hospitals practically paying their employees to quit smoking than why are 47 million adults in the U.S. still smoking cigarettes?Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances instantly studies have shown that nicotine is as addictive to mint as heroin, cocaine and alcohol. According to a study conducted by the American Cancer Society, in the U.S today, nicotine is the most super acid form of drug addiction among adults, high school students and middle-school students. While studies preformed by the C enter for Disease Control and Prevention have shown that cigarette smoking has declined 40% among adults ages 18 and over, between the years of 1965 and 1999 still today, nearly 26% of men and 22% of women smoke cigarettes.Dr. Laura Fredenburgh, a soft spoken and attractive woman in a white coat with her name and title embroidered on the pocket, sat at a long table on Thursday morning. She carefully explained to people the results of their free lung capacity tests that were given during the Smoke-Out.