FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2009
DHEC’s Region 4 Public Health Services to go tobacco-free
COLUMBIA - The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Region 4 Public Health Services plans to make 14 of its 15 clinic sites tobacco-free, the agency announced today.
“The new policy will prohibit smoking and tobacco use on all but one of our campuses, including parking lots and breezeways,” said Derrick Mims, director of DHEC’s Region 4 Public Health Services, which serves Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Kershaw, Lee, Marion, Marlboro and Sumter counties. “We’re continuing efforts with our external partners to make all of our campuses tobacco-free. It’s the responsible thing to do for the health of our employees and the public.
“We have had a long-standing smoke-free policy inside and within 50 feet of our facility’s doorways,” Mims said. “The expanded policy, which goes into effect May 1, will apply to staff and clients, and offer further protection against the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure and set a positive example for workplaces throughout the state.”
The U.S. Surgeon General stated in a 2006 report that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and illness in South Carolina. Almost 800 non-smoking S.C. adults each year die because of secondhand smoke exposure, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Research shows that smoke-free policies not only protect people from secondhand smoke exposure, but they also encourage smokers to quit,” Mims said. “Support is available from the S.C. Tobacco Quitline, a free telephone-based counseling service for all South Carolinians who want to quit tobacco use.”
Mims said the Quitline can be accessed by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.
-###-
For more information:
Suzette McClellan - (803) 934-2878
E-mail - mcclelcs@dhec.sc.gov
or
Adam Myrick - (803) 898-3884
E-mail - myrickar@dhec.sc.gov
MNR0291