Tobacco-Free Initiative

We’re going tobacco-free. Inside and outside.

Beginning July 4, 2007, the use of tobacco products will not be permitted inside or outside any Duke Medicine hospital campus, outpatient facility, physicians or administrative offices, or medical and nursing schools.

By providing a tobacco-free environment for our patients, visitors, physicians, and employees, we’re doing our part to promote health.

Triangle-Wide Initiative

This is not just a Duke initiative -- we’re joined by other health care institutions in North Carolina’s Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) including UNC Hospitals, Rex Hospital, and WakeMed Health and Hospitals.

We will also join 48 other North Carolina hospitals -- 35 percent of our state’s facilities -- in supporting a tobacco-free environment.

Supporting Good Health

Tobacco use and second-hand smoke are the nation’s leading cause of cancer and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The use of tobacco products is responsible for more than 430,000 deaths per year in the United States. Tobacco is also the number one cause of preventable deaths in North Carolina.

As a health care organization, the use of tobacco products conflicts with our objective of supporting good health and providing a safe working and care environment for our employees and patients.

We encourage our staff, and volunteers, as well as patients and their family members, to adopt healthier tobacco-free lifestyles.

Resources for Help

We realize this change may be difficult both for those employees who use tobacco products and for those who interact with patients and families on a daily basis.

To help those impacted by this change, we are committed to providing the necessary resources and support. Click a link below for resources that can help.

Duke Employee Resources
Patient Resources