UK St. Claire Goes Completely Smoke-Free!

UK St. Claire is committed to providing our patients, visitors, and staff with a healthy environment. That's why we are taking a more aggressive stance on the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States: tobacco use.

Our new smoke-free policy went into effect March 30, 2020, and prohibits smoking of all kinds including, but not limited to, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, pipes, and vape pens, and the use of smokeless tobacco on all UK St. Claire properties. The policy applies to all properties owned and leased by SCH, including all buildings, parking lots, sidewalks, green spaces, and vehicles.

We understand this change won't be easy for everyone, but all patients, visitors, volunteers, staff, vendors, and contractors will be expected to comply with the policy. Patients at St. Claire Regional Medical Center who choose to leave the hospital to smoke or use tobacco products will be required to sign out against medical advice (AMA) and will be required to visit the Emergency Department to be evaluated for readmission if they want to return.

UK St. Claire is not requiring that anyone give up smoking, but we will be offering smoking cessation courses and other educational resources focusing on the positive effects of quitting the use of tobacco products. To learn more about resources already available in our community, request to join Claire HealthCare's Facebook Support Group at www.facebook.com/groups/quittobaccowithSCH or call Kentucky’s Tobacco Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW, a FREE telephone service that helps Kentuckians quit smoking and using tobacco.

UK St. Claire has been tobacco-free since November 20, 2008, and has maintained a smoke-free interior since 1991.