Hosp Smoking Policies
Company/Source: Tobacco Institute
Document Date: 10 Jul 1991
Length: 1 page
Bates No. TIMS0020160
This 1991 Tobacco Institute memo reveals the industry plotting to
undermine a rule to make all U.S. hospitals smoke-free. The rule was to
be enacted by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation for Hospitals'
(JCAHO). (Hospitals in the U.S. must be JCAHO-accredited in order to
receive payments from the government for care of citizens
covered under national health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid.)
The rule was going to require hospitals to become completely smoke-free as a
prerequisite to receiving--or keeping--their coveted accreditation. The
memo states, surprisingly, that "Our office has had a number of
inquiries from nurses and doctors seeking assistance to prevent this ban."
The memo also indicates that a tobacco industry ally performed
surveillance on the Joint Commission, saying
"One of our local
tobacco distributors...is a member of the local Joint Hospital Board. He
has furnished us with some information from the JCAHO's Public Relations
Division..." The writer, Ron Morris of the Tobacco Institute
pointed out that "a number of state laws prohibit banning of smoking
in hospitals." He then suggests, "If you are able to use
[this information] in a discreet manner, we may be able to undermine
the anti-tobacco movement in hospitals, at least as an accreditation
effort."