Health 2013 Year in Review

Baptist Health Care and Sacred Heart Health Sys­tem will start the New Year with a healthy choice for themselves and for others, as they adopted tobacco­-free hiring policies begin­ning Jan. 1, 2014. Current employees who use tobacco products were not affected by the poli­cy. To encourage healthy lifestyles, Baptist Health Care and Sacred Heart Health System are currently, and will continue to offer, tobac­co cessation assistance to existing team members. Baptist Health Care and Sacred Heart Health Sys­tem worked with the Partnership for a Healthy Community (PFAHC) on an assessment of the state of health in the two-coun­ty area that includes Escam­bia and Santa Rosa. Results revealed discouraging sta­tistics related to tobacco use, obesity and health management. Baptist Health Care and Sacred Heart Health Sys­tem became smoke-free campuses in 2010. The hir­ing policy is another step in support of a healthy work­force.