WASHINGTON — A hospital in Annapolis, Maryland says it won’t hire people who smoke or use other products with nicotine.
Anne Arundel Medical Center recently announced that potential hires would be tested for nicotine as part of its screening process. If the applicants failed, they could reapply for a job in six months, though they would still have to be retested for nicotine.
The policy would not effect those hired before July 1, the hospital said in a news release.
Ex-smokers who use nicotine patches or other smoking cessation products can disclose the aids and still be eligible for hire, the Capital Gazette reports.
Anne Arundel Medical Center has been “smoke-free” since 2007, but the old policy was limited to cigarette use. Last year, the policy was expanded to ban all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, hospital officials said.
The Capital Gazette reports that at least three other Maryland hospitals disqualify job applicants who smoke: Carroll Hospital in Westminster, Maryland and two University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health locations in Harford County, Maryland.
