Gold Star Award will be presented on Nov. 4 in Augusta
CARIBOU — Cary Medical Center has received the Gold Star Standards of Excellence from the Maine Tobacco Free Hospital Network, the highest level of recognition. The award provides an annual opportunity for hospitals to be recognized for the work they have done to create a tobacco-free environment and to support tobacco-free life lifestyles. Hospitals may earn bronze, silver or the gold level award.
Hospitals are awarded on the number of 10 best practice Gold Standards they meet. “We are pleased that the ongoing efforts at Cary have led to meeting all 10 of these standards,” said Sarah A. Mayberry, program coordinator of the Maine Tobacco–Free Hospital Network, in a letter announcing the award.
“As leaders in health care, Maine hospitals seek to optimize the health of patients and the surrounding community,” said Mayberry. “You provide key community support and are exemplary role models in health care excellence. Tobacco-free campus policies are examples of this commitment as they benefit patients, employees, visitors and the entire community.”
The 10 standards developed by the network include such things as policies established by the hospital to prevent any tobacco use on campus, and to have enforcement mechanisms in place as well as smoking cessation tools such as nicotine replacement products for employees. Volunteers at the hospital review all magazines in waiting areas to eliminate any tobacco advertising.
Kris Doody, RN and CEO at Cary Medical Center, said she was very pleased with the Gold Standard Award and that it takes everyone working together for success in a tobacco-free environment.
“We have received the highest level of recognition for a number of years now and we salute the network for developing this recognition program that has motivated hospitals to develop comprehensive smoke-free environments,” said Doody, who was involved with developing a number of tobacco-free policies at the hospital.
“You have to stay on top of this issue and we have made an effort to keep our policies current,” she said. “An example would be the new E-cigarette issue and how we have addressed this through updating our policy prohibiting the use on our campus. As a hospital we want to encourage people to make healthy choices.”
Cary Medical Center will receive the Gold Star Award at a special celebration Nov. 4 at the Maine Hospital Association in Augusta. The Maine Tobacco-Free Network is an initiative of the Breathe Easy Coalition of Maine.
