Smoke Free SPIN, Coming Soon!

April 1, 2014

Dear Valued SPIN Employee,

As a People First organization, nothing is more important to SPIN’s positive results than healthy, vibrant employees. As such, SPIN is striving to be a healthy place to work. This winter we challenged every employee to join the Aetna “Get Active” campaign and over 200 of you signed on and are becoming healthier through exercise and healthy habits.  We are going to take a bold step forward this summer toward everyone’s better health by becoming a Smoke and Tobacco-free Workplace. 

According to the CDC, there are many health dangers from smoking and secondhand smoke. Smoking causes most lung cancer and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Smoking is also a leading cause of heart disease and Type II Diabetes. Additionally, about 3,000 non-smokers die every year from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke which is also a known trigger of Asthma symptoms.

I am personally very troubled and concerned by these statistics and so are many of your colleagues who have been discussing how SPIN can become a healthier workplace. They are planning for SPIN’s campuses to be smoke and tobacco-free as of July 1, 2014. This means that tobacco and smoke products will not be permitted even outdoors on SPIN’s campuses including in parking lots or grassy areas within our perimeters. We will also be asking that our employees refrain from smoking on the campuses of any of our neighbors.

To help our colleagues who are currently smokers or tobacco users, we will be offering various smoking-cessation treatments and supports as part of this effort. We are hopeful that employees who smoke will be helped to quit smoking, or at least to cut back as they will be unable to smoke during the work day.

More information will be forthcoming from the team that is working on this important effort. Please stay tuned! To your good health!

Take care,

Kathy Brown McHale