CRESTVIEW — Many North Okaloosa County residents say they appreciate North Okaloosa Medical Center's decision to go smoke free.
Here are comments from some of the News Bulletin's Facebook fans:
●"I think it's great! I hate walking through cancer alley to get into a hospital or business." — Shirl Griffin Long
●"As a former smoker, I am glad they made it smoke free. Making it harder to find smoking places, and a few other life events, helped me quit. It was one of the best things I could have done for myself." — Paul Guenther
●"I think it's great that a place of medicine and healing is not allowing smoking! Me and my asthmatic lungs are very appreciative!" — Princess Sara
No tobacco use will be permitted — inside or outside — on hospital property or on its affiliated properties.
The goal is to promote healthy choices.
"North Okaloosa Medical Center’s decision to go tobacco-free is not an attempt to force anyone to quit using tobacco products," an NOMC spokesperson said. "Rather, the tobacco-free initiative is a concrete way to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to healthy living, and we are asking for community support…"
Crestview Mayor David Cadle signed a proclamation of respect and gratitude for NOMC's initiative.
The policy follows statistics about smokers' mortality.
"Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States," an NOMC spokesperson said. "About half of all lifetime smokers will die early because of their decisions to smoke. In Florida, an estimated 28,000 people die from tobacco use annually. The U.S. surgeon general has confirmed that exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke is a serious health hazard and that there is no risk-free level of exposure.
"Tobacco use in and around healthcare facilities poses health and safety risks for patients, employees and visitors."
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North Okaloosa residents respond to hospital's no-smoking policy