St. Catherine of Siena Medical
Center is now 100% SMOKE-FREE!
 Smithtown,
New York - On January 1, 2009, St. Catherine of Siena
Medical Center’s entire 110-acre campus became smoke-free,
including all indoor and outdoor areas. Although the buildings
have been smoke-free, the hospital has permitted smoking in
designated areas outside the facilities. These smoking areas
have been eliminated as of January 1, 2009. Introducing the
smoke-free policy is a natural evolution for the nature of
service provided by St. Catherine’s. Smoking is a leading
cause of many illnesses throughout the nation and because
of this fact; it is vital for the hospital to address the
issue. As a health care provider, being a model of good health
and wellness practices is primary. Sylvia Diaz, Regional Vice
President of the American Cancer Society (Suffolk County),
also a dedicated member of the Board of Trustees for St. Catherine
of Siena Medical Center, committed to educating the community
about awareness and prevention, presented the smoke-free initiative
to Executive VP and CAO Sharon Kennish. Compelled by the idea,
St. Catherine’s hospital administration decided to take
the challenge of leading by example. “We care about
our employees, patients, visitors and volunteers, and are
committed to excellence in health care, which is our greatest
motivation with this new initiative,” stated Kennish.“This
is really about improving public health,” stated Senator
John J. Flannagan, who showed his support at the hospital’s
smoke-free announcement. Additionally, Legislator John Kennedy,
Jr. emphasized,”It is important that we eliminate the
many diseases that come about from smoking.”To best
succeed in the new smoke-free policy, St. Catherine’s
offered and will continue to offer smoking cessation programs
to help employees and the community, who may want to use this
as an opportunity to quit or reduce tobacco use. Incorporating
a smoke-free environment at the campus sends a clear message
of commitment to create and sustain a healthy environment
for employees, patients, visitors and volunteers. For more
information about smoking cessation programs and free coaching
and support on how to quit smoking, log onto New York State
Department of Health, www.nysmokefree.com or call (866) 697-8487.
Photo Caption (L to R): St. Catherine’s Director
of Infection Control Catherine Shannon, St. Catherine’s
VP of Administration Philip Bruno, St. Catherine’s Executive
Vice President and CAO Sharon Kennish, Senator John J. Flanagan,
St. Catherine’s VP of Human Resources Danielle Robbins,
Suffolk County’s Regional Vice President of the American
Cancer Society and member of the Board of Trustees for St.
Catherine of Siena Medical Center Sylvia Diaz, Legislator
John Kennedy, Jr., St. Catherine’s VP of Patient Care
Services and Chief Nursing Officer Gara Edelstein, and St.
Catherine’s Nursing Home Senior Administrator Michael
Quatararo
# # #
Contact: Karla Mason
Karla.mason@chsli.org
(631) 862-3523
Fax (631) 862-3943
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