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Mid Coast Hospital Receives Top Award for Tobacco-Free Achievements

Mid Coast Hospital Receives Top Award for Tobacco-Free Achievements

Augusta, ME – The 9^th annual Tobacco-Free Hospital Gold Star Standards of Excellence Awards Celebration, hosted by the MaineHealth Center for Tobacco Independence’s Breathe Easy initiative, was held on September 27 at the Maine Hospital Association. The event, attended by hospital and public health stakeholders from across the state, recognized efforts by Mid Coast Hospital to address tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.

Mid Coast Hospital was one of nine hospitals recognized for reaching the new Platinum Level in the 2018 Gold Star Standards of Excellence Program for efforts to prohibit smoke and tobacco use on campus and address client tobacco use. This is the eighth year Mid Coast Hospital has participated in the initiative, showing a longstanding commitment to addressing tobacco use and exposure.

“We are proud to be a 2018 Platinum Award recipient,” said Randee Reynolds, Vice President of Community Health at Mid Coast–Parkview Health. “Mid Coast–Parkview Health is dedicated to not only caring for patients when they become ill, but also takes responsibility for the health and wellbeing of our community. Our strong tobacco policy, combined with our tobacco education and cessation assistance, help to ensure that employees, patients, and visitors are as healthy as possible.”

All Maine hospitals were invited and encouraged to apply for recognition; those that met at least seven of ten Gold Star Standards were recognized with a plaque. Award levels are based on best practice criteria such as a smoke and tobacco-free campus policy, annual screening for tobacco use, referral to tobacco treatment, and supporting employee education related to tobacco treatment.

At the celebration event, Kenneth I. Lewis, Senior Director for the Center for Tobacco Independence, stated that, “Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death; we applaud Maine hospitals for taking proactive steps to address tobacco use and exposure within their organization.”

For more information about the Gold Star Standards of Excellence recognition program, please visit BreatheEasyMaine.org/Gold-Star-Standards-of-Excellence.