Upstate hospital working to expand smoking ban to public parts of campus

By Mike McCormick
Published On: Feb 07 2014 04:58:19 PM EST
Updated On: Feb 07 2014 08:44:43 PM EST

A Spartanburg County hospital has plans to ban smoking on sidewalks.


Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System has a smoking ban that affects its property, but it could soon extend to public parts of the campus, like sidewalks.

In a statement to WYFF News4, a spokesman wrote, "We are indeed pursuing a campus-wide tobacco ban at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System as part of an initiative for 2014."

City leaders say the hospital system approached them to see if extending the ban would be an option.

"Spartanburg Regional is immensely important partner of ours. It's the largest employer in the city. When they come to us and they want to work with us on something, we take it very seriously," said city Communications Manager Will Rothschild. "We're confident it can be done legally."

Patients or their relatives often gather to smoke on the sidewalk, which is public property, right outside the hospital's doors. That's despite the fact that there's a sign there asking them not to do it as it a courtesy.

"I think it goes against the constitution. We have a freedom on the constitution and I think that's one of our rights. I don't think it's right," said smoker Erin Solesbee, who was at the hospital to visit her aunt. "There's doctors and nurses here that smoke, they might hide it or deny it, but they do. I've walked on the back side of this hospital before and seen plenty of them smoking."

Glenn Moccia, a smoker, was at the hospital on Friday visiting his fiancee, a patient, who also smokes. He told WYFF News4's Mike McCormick that he thinks there should be a designated area for smoking.

"I definitely understand. People are sick and don't want to walk through smoke and things like that, but people still have the right to smoke if they want to," Moccia said. "It's a high-stress time for everybody, whether you're in the hospital or not. So that ability to be able to smoke reduces that stress. Whether it's good for you or not, I don't think it's their call to make. It's a personal decision."

City officials said the hospital system would still have to make a formal request to the City Council, and then the ban would go through the same process as any other ordinance.

"It's a matter of how does the district get drawn? What's going to be included? Which sidewalks and where?," Rothschild said. "I think they have some things to work out with their board and then it'll be up to city council to decide if it's something they can support or not."


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