Parma Hospital Will No Longer Hire Smokers Beginning March 1

Mirroring the actions of the Cleveland Clinic, Parma Community General Hospital has announced that it will cease hiring smokers beginning March 1, 2010. Those employees who were hired prior this date will not be affected.

Anyone under consideration for a position at Parma will need to first take a nicotine test as a part of a physical examination. If the potential hire tests positive for nicotine, they will be offered smoking cessation resources and could be reconsidered for a position 90 days later if they re-test and come up with a negative result.

In 2006, the Parma, Ohio hospital banned smoking on its campus. Since then it has also launched a number of programs aimed at improving the health of its employees, including smoking cessation tools and weight loss challenges.