Smoking ban instituted at Lanham hospital

Fort Washington Hospital, Laurel Regional Hospital and Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly still allow smoking on their campuses, according to Jessica Ronin, communications director for the Maryland Hospital Association, which maintains a database of smoke-free hospitals across the state.

Ronin said that Fort Washington is currently in ‘‘the planning stages” toward becoming a smoke-free hospital. She said neither Laurel Regional Hospital nor Prince George’s Hospital Center have indicated a desire to go smoke-free.

‘‘It’s been well-documented, the harmful effects of smoking on people’s health, and we felt our entire campus needed to be smoke-free,” said Philip Down, president of Doctors. ‘‘Being a hospital and health care entity, we want to lead by example in this regard.”

Down said smokers would have to go off the premises of the hospital onto Good Luck Road if they need to light up.

He said enforcement of the new smoking policy will be up to all members of the hospital’s staff, who will be asked to politely remind people of the new policy.

‘‘If any member of our staff observes anyone smoking, they will very politely go over and speak to them and tell them about the new policy and the dangers of smoking,” Down said. ‘‘The feeling is that after that no further action will need to be taken.”

He said there will be no penalties imposed against those found smoking on the hospital campus.

‘‘No penalties should be necessary,” he said. ‘‘Our intent with this is not to penalize people. Our intent is to help improve the quality of their life. What we want to do is not only prohibit smoking on our campus but also take on more of an educational role.”

Jen Smith, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said that as part of the effort to educate the public about the dangers of smoking, staffers at the hospital offered blood pressure screenings, gave away pamphlets about nicotine replacement therapy and provided several packs of free nicotine gum to anyone interested in kicking the smoking habit.

She said a steady stream of people took advantage of the opportunity from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 20.

‘‘[The policy] is more about educating, setting an example and having this be a healthy place to come to,” Smith said.

Eric Mickens, a Greenbelt resident waiting at a bus stop on the hospital campus that day, said he was in favor of the new policy.

‘‘It don’t bother me at all,” Mickens said of the new policy. ‘‘I mean at a hospital it really should be smoke-free.”

Kendra Banks, a Largo resident in the emergency room waiting area, also approved of the new policy.

‘‘I don’t like the smell or inhaling other people’s smoke at all and I don’t want to be around any smoking inside or outside [the hospital],” she said. ‘‘I think it’s a very good policy.”

But not everyone was in favor of it.

Jim Williams, a wheelchair-bound multiple sclerosis patient at the Magnolia Square Nursing and Rehabilition Center located on the hospital’s campus, was sitting outside the center enjoying a cigarette.

‘‘I feel it’s wrong,” Williams said of the new policy. ‘‘It’s discriminatory. It’s not going to stop me from smoking here. This is my right.”

Robyn Blackmon, a nurse at the center, was sitting outside the center chatting with Williams. She too said she did not like the new policy.

‘‘It’s really absurd,” Blackmon said. ‘‘There should at least be a smoking area that people can go to somewhere on the campus.”