Pa. hospital no longer hiring smokers

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DANVILLE, Pa., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania hospital will begin screening job applicants for nicotine early next year, saying it will not hire smokers, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Geisinger Health System, a hospital in the eastern town of Danville, will put its no-nicotine policy into effect Feb. 1, CNN reported.

Applicants who test positive for nicotine will be offered help to quit smoking and are encouraged to reapply in six months, spokeswoman Marcy Marshall said.

The move is part of a plan to make the hospital staff smoke-free, Marshall said. The plan is not retroactive, protecting existing staff members who smoke.

"We wanted to create a culture of wellness, and the testing was just a part of the overall mission," said Dr. Paul Terpeluk, medical director of Employee Health Services in Cleveland.

For some, the policy has encouraged behavioral changes.

"I told them I wanted to quit the right way," said Cleveland Clinic receptionist Marti Auner, who said she was a 15-year smoker. "I wanted to finish my patches, and they held a job for me for a month."

Gary Burtless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said the measure is commonly used to reduce potential future healthcare costs.

Dr. Steven Bernstein, a professor at Yale University, added smokers take breaks more often, reducing hours worked.