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Catalan hospitals celebrate the World Day without Tobacco |
The centres of the Catalan Network of Smoke-free Hospitals,
coordinated by the Institut Català d’Oncologia (ICO),
organize several activities on May 31st.
Next Thursday 31st of May the World Day without Tobacco is celebrated;
this celebration spreads to most of the 46 centres of the Catalan
Network of Smoke-free Hospitals. This network, run by ICO, gathers
the hospitals that promote, on the one hand, the prevention of tobacco
consumption and, on the other, the programmes meant to give up the
habit both among their professionals and their patients.
The World Day without Tobacco is an iniciative launched in 1989 by
the World Health Organization (WHO) to remind people of the damage
that tobacco consumption implies for society. On this occasion, the
WHO dedicates the day to indoor spaces, with the motto ‘Smoke
Free Inside’.
Scientific evidence shows that the smoke in the places where we are
damages health, since it causes respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses,
and it can also cause cancer. Besides, there is no level of safe
exposure to smoke or a ventilation or filtration system which, by
itself or combined with others, can reduce the exposure to tobacco
to acceptable levels.
Activities at ICO...
Apart from managing the Catalan Network of Smoke-free Hospitals,
ICO is the reference centre regarding assistance, prevention, training
and cancer research. For this reason it celebrates the World Day
without Tobacco with several activities:
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A stand: a stand will be installed from 10:00 to 13:00 at the entrance
to ICO in Hospitalet; there we will offer information on how to give
up smoking and we will exchange cigarettes for presents to those people
who make a commitment to abandon tobacco and enrol in a workshop to
give up the habit. We will also carry out coximetries to measure the
levels of exhaled carbon monoxide, one of the toxic elements that become
worse because of smoking. |
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Cineforum: from 13:00 to 15:00 the film ‘Thanks for smoking’ will
be on. It is satire about the bizarre story of the spokesman of a tobacco
company.
After the film there will be a debate. |
... and at the rest of the Catalan
Network of Smoke-free Hospitals
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Stands: a number of centres will have stands where they will inform
the citizens, will give advice and will also measure exhaled carbon
monoxide. This is the case, among others, of the Hospital del Mar,
the Dos de Maig, the Sant Joan in Reus, the Sant Rafael, the General
in Hospitalet, the Germans Trias i Pujol, the hospital in Terrassa,
the Sant Camil, the Private Foundation Hospital in Mollet, the Foundation
Hospital Asil in Granollers, the Plató Clinic and the Hospital
in la Seu. The Assistance Centres Althaia will install information
tables at the secondary
schools in Manresa. |
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Exhibitions: the Hospital in Mataró will hold a photograph
exhibition on the history of tobacco and the Maresme-la Selva Corporation
will hold one of drawings by primary school students who have participated
in the Campaign of the Programme of diffusion of the risks of tobacco
during childhood. The Hospital in Vic will celebrate the 7th photoraph
contest about smoke. In its turn, the
Sant Joan de Déu Hospital will hold an exhibition of drawings about the
tobacco consumption habit drawn by admitted children. |
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Other activities: the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital will also
have the staging
of several comedy gags by the ‘Pallapupas’ and the ‘Mags per
l’esperança’. At the Vall d’Hebron Hospital there will
be a performance by Màgic Andreu and at the General Hospital in Vic one
by Mag Joaquín Matas, 1st National Magic Award. |
You can have further details of the activities
at the network site: www.xchsf.com and
at ICO’s www.iconcologia.net
The Catalan Network of Smoke-free Hospitals was created in 1999. It is run and
promoted by ICO, and adhering to it is voluntary. Its goal is to encourage organization
changes in favour of smoke-free health institutions. In the last few years there
has been a progressive increase in centres which have adhered to it. Nowaydays,
46 out of the 61 who belong to the public health system (XHUP) are part of it. |
May, 25th 2007
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