This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Intermountain Healthcare's three Utah County hospitals soon will soon have tobacco-free campuses to address rising concerns over secondhand smoke.
American Fork Hospital, Orem Community Hospital and Utah Valley Regional Medical Center will make the switch in conjunction with the Great American Smokeout on Thursday. Patients will be offered nicotine replacement therapy products such as Nicorette gum or a nicotine patch. The same products will be available in the hospitals' gift shops for visitors at little or no cost.
Mountain View Hospital in Payson made the switch earlier this year.
More than 400,000 people die from tobacco use each year, and it's the single leading cause of mortality in the United States.
-- Dawn House
