Press Release
Date: 06-29-12Name: Jerry Carey Phone: 856-566-6171
Email: careyge@umdnj.edu
UMDNJ Stratford Campus Becomes Tobacco-Free on July 1
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�Tobacco use is the number one cause of premature death in America,� said Dr. Thomas Cavalieri, dean of the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine. �Going smoke-free underscores our commitment to the health of our employees, patients, students and all who visit our campus.�
According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 compounds, of which at least 250 are harmful to humans and 69 are known to cause cancer. Each year, second-hand smoke causes about 3,400 deaths from lung cancer in non-smokers and worsening asthma symptoms in up to one million children.
The change to a tobacco-free environment follows months of planning by representatives from UMDNJ�s Stratford-based schools as they prepared for the campus to become the second University location to go smoke-free. The University�s smoke-free initiative is due to eventually encompass all UMDNJ campuses. Staff and students who smoke have been encouraged to sign up for free smoking-cessation classes and patients, along with neighboring homes and businesses, have been alerted to the change. The Clean Air Because We Care campaign has its roots in a broader UMDNJ initiative that began several years ago.
�In 2008, UMDNJ established a university-wide committee on Health and Wellness, as part of a commitment to promote the health of our employees,� said Dr. Julie O�Sullivan Maillet, the interim dean of the UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions. �In 2011, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey went tobacco-free, and now, Stratford becomes the first campus that is tobacco-free. Beyond tobacco cessation, we are also promoting walking and informed food choices. The Stratford committee on tobacco-free campus should be congratulated for a thorough planning process.�
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is New Jersey�s only health sciences university with more than 6,000 students on five campuses attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and New Jersey�s only school of public health. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, which provides a continuum of healthcare services with multiple locations throughout the state.
