NC Prevention Partners today announced that, as of July 6, 2009, all acute care hospitals in North Carolina will have passed 100% tobacco-free campus policies. This means no tobacco can be used anywhere on the hospital's premises, including buildings, sidewalks, entrances, and parking lots. Over the past three years, NC Prevention Partners has guided hospitals to develop and pass the policies. The initiative was funded with a three-year grant from The Duke Endowment and in partnership with the NC Hospital Association.

"North Carolina will pass a major health milestone next week," said Dr. Meg Molloy, President and CEO of NC Prevention Partners. "We are leading the nation in tobacco-free hospitals and, with these policies in place, millions of hospital patients, visitors and employees will be protected from exposure to harmful secondhand smoke. Hospitals are natural health leaders and are setting the pace for healthy communities in North Carolina. We are grateful to The Duke Endowment and NC Hospital Association for their unwavering support."

"By going 100% tobacco-free campus wide, our hospitals have taken a bold step to improve the health of every patient, visitor and employee," said William Pully, President of the NC Hospital Association. "Healthy policies make good sense and are in line with our mission to improve the health of North Carolinians. I congratulate our hospital leaders for their vision and drive to make this happen, and for serving as a model for the rest of the nation."

"We strongly support 100% tobacco-free hospital campuses," said Mary Piepenbring, Vice President at the Duke Endowment. "This project has continued to bring real results and serves as a national model. We are proud to be a partner in this important initiative and want to thank NC Prevention Partners and the Hospital Association for their tireless efforts to make this possible."

NC Prevention Partners also announced today the approval of an additional $250,000 grant from The Duke Endowment to begin building a tobacco cessation system for N.C. hospitals. Currently, efforts to help patients and employees quit tobacco are fragmented; this system will ensure that every hospital patient and employee who uses tobacco will get help to quit and will serve as a model for hospitals nationwide.

Melva Fager Okun, DrPH, is NC Prevention Partners' Senior Manager of the hospital program. "I am overjoyed that our hospitals have taken the steps to create 100% tobacco-free worksites," Dr. Okun said. "They are leaders, blazing the path for hospitals nationwide to follow. For tobacco users, quitting is the single most important thing they can do to improve their health. Creating a robust system to ensure that every patient and employee who uses to tobacco gets help to quit is the right thing to do. We are grateful to continue our work with The Duke Endowment and the NC Hospital Association to improve the health of North Carolinians."
About NC Prevention Partners

NC Prevention Partners is a leader in reducing preventable illness and early death in North Carolina caused by tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and obesity. Our tobacco-free hospital project was funded in 2006 with a $600,000 grant, and the healthy food project began with a $1.1 million grant in 2008. Both projects are funded by The Duke Endowment. For a list of the dates hospitals went tobacco-free campus wide, click here. For more information about our focus on hospitals, visit www.ncpreventionpartners.org/hospitals.

About The Duke Endowment

The Duke Endowment, located in Charlotte, N.C., seeks to fulfill the legacy of James B. Duke by improving lives and communities in the Carolinas through higher education, health care, rural churches and children's services. Since its inception in 1924, the Endowment has awarded more than $2.2 billion in grants. The Duke Endowment, located in Charlotte, N.C., seeks to fulfill the legacy of James B. Duke by improving lives and communities in the Carolinas through higher education, health care, rural churches and children's services. Since its inception in 1924, the Endowment has awarded more than $2.2 billion in grants.