Poll: Should The Hudson Valley Hospital Center Be Tobacco Free?

Today is the American Cancer Society’s 36^th Annual Great American Smokeout, a day to encourage smokers to quit or help those who have planned in advance to quit smoking. In honor of the great Smokeout, the Hudson Valley Hospital Center is making its —permanently.

Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco adopted a campus-wide, tobacco-free policy in 2009.

Do you think this is a good idea? Take our poll below.

Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. And still, more than 46 million Americans smoke.

Undoubtedly some smokers at hospitals are family members of patients who might need a cigarette after hearing some bad news; others are employees of the hospital who will now have to leave the premises to sneak in a smoke break. But others may be cancer patients themselves who cannot be near tobacco products.

The reasons why a hospital and health center would decide to keep cancer-causing products off their premises are clear. And hospitals are not the first to make this change.

Just last week, the Metro-North banned smoking on all  In Nyack, the mayor  for a ban on smoking on the streets earlier this month. (This spurred quite a debate on Nyack.patch.com).

New York City banned smoking in all public parks earlier this year as well. It is a growing trend.

Do you support this trend? Do you support the HVHC's new tobacco-free policy? Tell us in the comments and take our poll.

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For more on quitting tobacco visit the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout today.