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Benefits January 14, 2011
MA Hospital Screens for Nicotine Use
January 14, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, Massachusetts, has begun testing prospective employees for nicotine use.
Reported by Rebecca Moore
The Boston Globe reports the policy is believed to be the first of its kind for a hospital in Massachusetts. Those who fail the screening can forget about a job, but rejected candidates are told to reapply in six months if they’ve quit using tobacco products by then.
In addition, hospital employees who voluntarily take and pass four health screenings — for blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, and nicotine — receive a $500 deposit to their health saver account each year they pass the tests. About 47% of the hospital’s 1,000-person workforce participates in the program, according to the Globe.
The Massachusetts Hospital Association also announced in November it would no longer hire smokers.
Such policies are a growing trend as companies try to address the health and productivity of employees as well as growing health care costs (see MD Nonprofit Won’t Hire Tobacco Users).« Industry Group Says Hybrid Plan Rules Should Encourage Plan Creation