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CORTLANDT MANOR, N.Y. If smokers arent becoming extinct, places to smoke might be. In the days surrounding the Great American Smokeout Metro-North platforms became smoke-free, as did the campus of the Hudson Valley Hospital Center.
As of today, we are a tobacco-free hospital, said John C. Federspiel, President of the Hudson Valley Hospital Center, at the unveiling of the new Cheryl R. Lindenbaum Cancer Center, on Thursday morning. At Hudson Valley Hospital Center we are all about health and wellness so this move is something that is long overdue.
Employees at the hospital are offered discounted nicotine patches and gum, and are also offered free-hypnosis and four week smoking cessation coaching. The new rule applies to any kind of tobacco use on campus, for visitors as well as employees.
Metro-North has began a smoke-free campaign on Monday, first allowing a grace period for smokers to become acquainted with the new regulation. The end of the grace period is not yet associated with a particular date, but with bringing ridership up to speed.
According to New York State Assemblywoman, Ellen Jaffe (D-Suffern), who sponsored the legislation, smokers will be issued a warning, followed by a $100 fine for smoking on outdoor ticketing, boarding and platform areas.
While many members of the public express vindication at new smoking bans, others bristle at what they say is extensive regulation. Long overdue, writes Sunny Armer, on The Daily Crotons Facebook page, I'm allergic to smoke and can never get far enough away from them on platforms.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Barbara Miranda, a member of The Daily Cortlandts Facebook page writes, I am an ex-smoker, and seriously, let the smokers smoke. It's outside and if you do not like it, move. Seriously, where can they smoke anymore?
The New York Department of Health estimates that 2,500 New Yorkers die each year in connection with second-hand smoke. The American Lung Association also strongly backed the measure.
"The Legislature took a strong stand on behalf of public health today by passing this important legislation that will protect commuters from the dangers of secondhand smoke," said Michael Seilback, Vice President of Public Policy and Communications at the Lung Association, in a release. "Commuters should not have to risk having a tobacco smoke-induced asthma attack while they are simply waiting to board a train to go to work."
The New York State Department of Health also has an ongoing campaign to help New Yorkers quit smoking.
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