Tobacco Free Policy

After an extended effort, the Department of Family Medicine's Tobacco Free Policy Committee is very pleased to announce the approval of a new Tobacco Free Policy. The policy has been approved by both the University of Wisconsin Vice Chancellor's office and the Department of Family Medicine Executive Council. This policy will prohibit cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoking, as well as chewing tobacco in all Department of Family Medicine owned and leased facilities to include buildings and grounds.

As health care providers, it is important that our Department sets a high standard to ensure a tobacco-free and smoke-free environment for our employees, patients, visitors, and vendors.

The effective date of full implementation of this policy will be May 1, 2006.

The Committee is putting a communication plan in place that will provide plenty of advance notice to our employees and patients of this new policy. Clinic neighbors and the local media will be notified of this policy and the implementation date. Local and state-wide resources will be made available as well as assistance in seeking individual insurance benefits for smoking cessation counseling for employees who express an interest to quit smoking.

Signs have been ordered for the parking lots and entrance/exit for the clinics. Clinics have also been provided with some small business card size notices to gently remind violators of our smoke-free environment.

The Committee asks for the assistance of all of our staff at our Department of Family Medicine residency clinics to assist us in implementing this new policy.

Thank you to the following committee members who assisted in developing this policy:

• Shawn Boogaard, M.Ed - Fox Valley
• Maureen Van Dinter, R.N, M.S., C.P.N.P. - Northeast
• Len DePrey, R.N. - Eau Claire
• Darlene Antoniewicz, R.N. and Ginny Jaeger - Wausau
• Mary Doherty, D.R.T. - Verona
• Karen Wendler, P.A.-C. - Wingra