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On October 1, 2008, NIH announced the Tobacco-Free
HHS initiative. Effective October 1, 2008, the use
of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco ("snuff"),
and any other tobacco products is prohibited on the
NIH Bethesda Campus.
The National Institutes of Health is the Nation's
Medical Research Agency. Our mission is science in
the pursuit of fundamental knowledge that will advance
medicine and prevent disease. NIH seeks to live up
to the agency's name and reputation by setting an
example through the creation of a healthy atmosphere,
especially for visiting patients and the health professionals
who care for them. When NIH established a Web site
for the agency's Tobacco-Free Initiative, we titled
it "Taking Our Own Best Advice." We want
a healthy, productive, and trigger-free NIH community
for staff, contractors, trainees, visiting students,
physician-investigators, and the wider public. In
addition, the agency seeks to create a tobacco-free
atmosphere for those who have never used tobacco
products while maintaining a tobacco-free atmosphere
for those who have already set tobacco aside.
By encouraging tobacco cessation, NIH seeks to improve
the health of all staff and visitors while positioning
the NIH as a model for other agencies and organizations
that are planning similar programs and policies aimed
at promoting healthy, tobacco-free behaviors.
The Tobacco-Free HHS initiative is not designed
to penalize any segment of the NIH workforce. Rather,
we encourage NIH employees and contractors to take
full advantage of all free, available resources to
quit. We also strongly encourage supervisors and
co-workers to support those who are in the process
of quitting.
The NIH will continue to honor all current Collective
Bargaining Agreements containing provisions that
address smoking or tobacco, and will implement this
policy consistent with the Agreements and its obligations
under law, rule or regulation.
The full text of the policy is available at http://tobaccofree.nih.gov/tfpolicy.htm.
What Resources Are Available?
All NIH employees, including contractors, have access
to the following resources, which can help you plan
your quit attempt and provide support to remain tobacco-free:
- Smokefree.gov (http://www.smokefree.gov/)
is intended to help you or someone you care about
quit smoking. Different people need different resources
as they try to quit. The information and professional
assistance on this Web site can help you prepare
to quit, during quitting, and remain a nonsmoker.
- Quit Smoking with the Online Quit Guide: http://www.smokefree.gov/quit-smoking/index.html
- National Network of Quitlines provides live telephone
support and resources and is available at 1-800-QUIT-NOW,
TTY 1-800-332-8615
NIH Federal employees have access to the following
resources, some free:
- The NIH Work/Life Center (http://hr.od.nih.gov/worklife/aboutus.htm)
offers referrals to smoking cessation support groups.
- NIH and the Federal Occupational Health (FOH)
(http://www.foh.dhhs.gov/)provide
free tobacco cessation treatment services to NIH
smokers who wish to quit through local FOH-sponsored
clinics run. The program is available at no cost
to employees if their current health insurance
plan does not cover over-the-counter treatment
options for tobacco addiction. Interested federal
employees should complete the enrollment form (http://tobaccofree.nih.gov/cessation_enroll.doc (DOC - 100KB)).
For specific questions, contact Arlene Engelstad
at 1-206-615-2446 or via e-mail at aengelstad@psc.gov.
- The employee's Institute or Center may pay the
full cost of employee Smoking Cessation Product
(SCP) participation sponsored or approved by the
Institute or Center and completed by employees.
Institutes and Centers may also reimburse the employee
up to $200 for any prescription or over-the-counter
SCP used in conjunction with an NIH sponsored or
approved SCP. If interested, employees should discuss
alternatives with their supervisors and administrative
officers and submit Standard Form-1034 (http://forms.nih.gov/adobe/procurement/SF1034.PDF),
if necessary.
- Note: To learn whether your health insurance
provider covers treatment for tobacco addiction:
(http://tobaccofree.nih.gov/insurancetable.htm).
To best assist employees during this transition,
NIH is working toward providing more information
and resources on tobacco cessation. The NIH Tobacco-Free
Web site will be updated with new information and
programs, as available.
References
If you have questions about the NIH Tobacco-Free Campus Policy, please e-mail tobaccofree@mail.nih.gov.
For information about becoming tobacco-free or help with quitting smoking, please see the National Cancer Institute contact page at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/smoking.
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National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
Department
of Health
