Helpful hands to curb smoking rates

The typical duties of a hospital volunteer are to help patients, escort visitors or assist nursing staff in the wards, but over at Blacktown Hospital, our vollies have taken their role to a whole new level.

The team of vollies have expanded their duties to assist Western Sydney Local Health District’s Tobacco Control team in ensuring the facility is smoke-free.

Blacktown Hospital’s voluntary service manager Janice Low said the volunteers have been monitoring people smoking near the entrances of the hospital.

“Our team reported back to the Tobacco Control team that for two hours during September they counted 1,621 people accessing the main entrance and witnessed 62 people smoking,” Janice said.

“The volunteers also assisted with observing the amount and locations of cigarette butts in the heavy traffic areas.

“Thank you to our vollies for ensuring our hospital is a smoke-free environment and preventing our staff, visitors and patient from being exposed to harmful tobacco smoke,” Janice said.

All NSW Health facilities are smoke-free.