Tobacco users need not apply

Geisinger Medical Center of Danville, Montour County, announced last week that it will no longer hire applicants who use cigarettes, cigars or chewing or smokeless tobacco.

The policy falls in line with that of some other health-care facilities across the state, including in Williamsport and Bethlehem.

According to The Daily Item – a sister newspaper of The Tribune-Democrat

– the policy takes effect Feb. 1, and doesn’t apply to the nearly 15,000 employees currently working at the Danville medical facility or its satellite locations.

It’s a major step, and obviously a bold one.

While we understand and applaud the health-care provider’s reasoning, we, too, wonder about any future ramifications it might encounter.

We long have encouraged our readers, for their own well-being, to refrain from smoking or using smokeless tobacco. However, we also long have supported their right to do so as long as it does not affect the health or comfort level of others.

The motivation for the Geisinger policy isn’t cost but better employee health and a healthful patient environment, said Amy Brayford of its human resources department.

“In the long run, we certainly hope this will have (a) positive impact on benefit costs,” she said in The Daily Item’s report. “In the short run, we will be increasing screenings and that will add some expense.”

But, she added, “This is really for a healthy environment for our employees and patients.”

As in the case of the 4,000-employee Conemaugh Health System, Geisinger has been a smoke-free campus for a few years now. Smokers at Conemaugh’s facilities must leave health system properties before lighting up, or face disciplinary action if caught.

Geisinger officials say their hiring process includes a routine drug screening, which now will include a test that detects only active nicotine users, not those exposed to secondhand smoke.

Any substance that contains nicotine – including patches and chewing gum often used in cessation routines – will produce a positive result.

Applicants who fail the test can re-apply after six months, officials said.

Geisinger doesn’t plan to police new hires, making sure they remain tobacco-free upon going to work there, Brayford said, but believes they will follow the policy themselves.

“You have to have a trust relationship with your employees,” said Lynn Miller, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Geisinger.

“That’s very important to us.”

According to a spokesman at the American Lung Association’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania is one of 20 states that legally allows employers to consider tobacco use in hiring decisions.

Laws in 29 states and the District of Columbia prevent public or private businesses from considering whether a person smokes when hiring, he said.

While we are unaware of how many companies in Pennsylvania might already have hiring practices banning tobacco users, Geisinger’s move is noteworthy considering its size and its mission.

We certainly would expect that others will fall in line, especially considering the commonwealth’s already-strict rules involving smoking in public establishments.