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Mercy to put up a smoke screen

Durango hospital to stop hiring smokers
Centura Health will not hire job candidates who test positive for tobacco, including at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango.

In a new twist on the drive to eliminate tobacco, Mercy Regional Medical Center will soon begin testing new hires for a smoking habit.

Centura Health, parent company of the Durango hospital, announced today it will not hire job candidates who test positive for tobacco after Jan. 1.

After that date, prospective hires will be subject to a tobacco test as part of their post-job offer screening.

Applicants who test positive for tobacco use will be eliminated from consideration, but may be eligible to reapply for jobs at Centura Health 90 days after their last test result, the company said.

“Really for us, we believe it’s part of our mission,” said Cathy Roberts, Mercy’s vice president of mission integration. “Part of our mission is to nurture the health of people in the community, and our employees are part of that.”

Mercy has 1,147 full- and part-time employees, making it one of La Plata County’s largest employers.

The policy does not affect current employees, but it applies to all Centura facilities, the company said.

“It is important that we serve as a role model by internally promoting the benefits of health and wellness to create and sustain a healthy workforce,” Centura Health President and CEO Gary Campbell said in a news release.

Mercy offers a variety of tobacco-cessation resources. Still, the policy could raise questions by passing over job applicants for using a legal substance.

“Tobacco is undeniably linked to a lot of chronic diseases,” said Roberts.

She added, “I don’t see this policy regulating what people do outside of work.”

The new policy comes amid sharply increased regulation of tobacco. The Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect in Colorado in 2006, banning smoking in bars and restaurants. The city of Durango also prohibits smoking in parks, on the Animas River Trail and at bus stops.

Mercy’s prospective hires will be tested for tobacco through a urine screen, Roberts said.

“We already have a pre-employment drug screen, so this will just be included,” she said.

cslothower@durangoherald.com



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