Paper missed the point on new hospital policy

You missed the point entirely in your opinion article on May 19.

Although you did agree that smoking is bad for one’s health, you then defended the right of people to smoke, even on health care facilities grounds. This is wrong.

The Prince William Hospital is within its rights and in fact is obligated to ban smoking anywhere in the hospital grounds, and yes, even inside vehicles parked at the health care facility.

Smokers not only contaminate the site where they smoke, but they also pollute an area of up to 100 square feet.

With people walking to and from the area where they park their cars, they have no choice but to inhale the smoke being exhaled by smokers. This is called second- hand smoke and it kills just the same as if the victim was a smoker.

You compared fast foods to smoking and this is like comparing oranges and apples. Eating bad food only hurts those who eat it; cigarette smoke hurts others in many ways.

Being a bed-ridden patient in a hospital and having a smoking nurse, doctor or technician administering medication or treatment and smelling like a rancid ashtray is disgusting enough, but for someone who is allergic to the noxious smell is much worse.

Health care professionals must not be allowed to smoke during working hours and if they show up for work smelling like cigarette smoke, they should be sent home to decontaminate themselves (wash their hair, take a bath, change clothes), and don’t smoke on the way to work

Hospital visitors who are smokers should be considerate enough not to come to the hospital reeking of cigarette smoke and like hospital employees, doctors, volunteers, vendors, repairmen and others should not be allowed to smoke anywhere on hospital grounds.

The hospital staff is right to enforce a smoke-free environment. Employees and others should comply because they will improve the health care services to the sick and they will be making the environment safe for the elderly, those with allergies and pulmonary diseases, children including babies, and all others in the hospital.

LOUIS G. DOMINGUEZ

Former health care professional

Gainesville