- Florida: Blake Medical Center CEO Dan Friedrich this week announced his plans to retire after 15 years leading the hospital. During Friedrich's tenure he oversaw the implementation of several new services, including the hospital's first trauma center. Friedrich said he will stay on through the fall, giving the hospital time to find and train a replacement (Dymond, Bradenton Herald, 7/24).
- Maine: The Maine Medical Center Research Institute earlier this month announced it will receive $20 million from NIH to help fight diseases in northern New England. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said the funding will help create the Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network, a consortium that aims to improve biomedical research collaboration. In addition to the Maine Medical Center Research Institute, the consortium will include the University of Southern Maine and University of Vermont (AP/Sacramento Bee, 7/24).
- New Jersey: Gov. Chris Christie (R) last week signed a bill that makes the state the third to raise its smoking age to 21, following California and Hawaii. The New Jersey law, slated to take effect in November, applies to conventional tobacco products and electronic cigarettes. William DeJong, a professor at Boston University School of Health and a co-author of the research review into the effects of raising the drinking age to 21, said, "The evidence is clear that, the later a young person takes a first drink, the less likely they are to experience negative alcohol-related consequences as adults. And the later a young person starts to smoke, the less likely they are to develop a lifelong habit" (Lopez, Vox, 7/24).
These hospitals don't hire smokers
Some organizations have taken smoking bans one step further and have stopped hiring smokers completely.
Read about how Memorial Health Care System and the Cleveland Clinic implemented smoking bans, and learn about the factors to weigh when considering whether to institute a smoke-free hiring policy