Following the lead of the Cleveland Clinic and a growing number of other hospitals, Pennsylvania’s Geisinger Health System will turn away job applicants who smoke starting next month.“This is quite a trend. Hospital systems throughout the country are doing this increasingly,” said Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor of community health sciences at Boston University School of Public Health.The move further flames a debate between workers’ rights organizations and health advocates over whether denying jobs based on tobacco use is just. Some argue it’s a form of employment discrimination, while organizations that adopt such standards, including Geisinger, say that turning away smokers reduces health care costs and absenteeism, and sets a healthy example.
Reposted by GentleCareInc. Aston Pa. 19014