KUSM-W Campus to Become Tobacco Free

MEMORANDUM

TO: All Personnel at KUSM-W

FROM: S. Edwards Dismuke, MD, MSPH, Dean

DATE: June 15, 2006

SUBJECT: KUSM-W Campus to Become Tobacco Free

As part of the mission of the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita to help improve the health of Kansas and provide a healthy, safe environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors, in conjunction with the “Great American Smokeout,” Thursday, Nov. 16, our campus will become tobacco-free. Use of tobacco products will be prohibited on all external and internal campus locations. This applies to all persons on the medical school campus. Specific information clarifying the new tobacco-free policy will be forthcoming.

Our role as a leader in the health care community spurs us to advocate healthy lifestyles, thus initiating this tobacco-free policy. KUMC and the University of Kansas Hospital, as well as our partners, Via Christi and Wesley medical centers, are also initiating tobacco-free campus policies.

We understand this policy will have an uncomfortable impact on some of our employees, patients and visitors to our campus. There will be an opportunity to have input on the best way to make this transition as easy as possible. A tobacco-free campus committee has been formed that will address policies and procedures, educational information and communication strategies.

I ask you to join me and the tobacco free campus committee in this initiative to demonstrate by our actions our commitment to enhancing the health of our community.

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