Baptist Health System bans job seekers who smoke

At Baptist employees who smoke and/or have spouses that smoke must pay penalty every payday - I think it is $25 or $35 per pay period (every two weeks). So if an employee and their spouse both smoke, it is double every pay period. How can they charge an employee for their spouse smoking - they claim it is an additional health premium. It think this is a pet project of the CEO - I hope someone does sue - maybe Vanguard would step in and put a stop to this.

Expect to be sued. If I can't smoke, then you can't provide taxpayer funded services for the illegal aliens. Boycott!

NurseNick: Meanwhile, the rest of us work through our meal breaks and NEVER see a 15 minute break. We are lucky if we get to pee twice in a 12 hour shift. Hmmm, it mandatory for you to take your 30 min lunch or the hospital gets fined. RN's that don't smoke are always on their cell phone, playing games or texting, more than the time a smoker takes to have a cig. Just say'n

You smokers and smoke supporters are hilarious. You'll "never go to Baptist." Or "It's a constitutional right to smoke." Or "smoking doesn't affect anyone but the smoker." Really? Really? Are you for real? And some genius from your gene pool referred to the next Mayor of SA as "the next President of SA." Maybe all that smoke has ruined all your brain's already. Keep smoking, Gods way of cleaning up the gene pool. Smokers, total nincompoops.

Actually, smokers DO affect others whether they are lighting up in front of someone or not. "Of the more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful, including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia." These chemicals and toxins stay on your skin, clothes, nails and hair. If you take a smoke break and then return to give patient care, you are exposing your patient to these chemicals. Even if it is trace amounts, people who are ill do not need ANY exposure to these things. Also, there are people with severe allergies to smoke, especially people with asthma and other autoimmune disorders. Most hospitals do not allow you to wear perfumes, cologne or strong smelling perfumes either. It's not because they are Socialists or Fascists, but because the potential for breathing difficulties associated to these allergens outweigh the benefits of staff smelling "pretty" or getting a nicotine fix. I have several family members who are allergic to smoke and will begin having signs of respiratory distress within minutes of exposure, including someone entering a room who has just come in from finishing a cigarette. If my grandmother were ill and had an already compromised immune system, she should not worry about exposure to cigarette smoke while under the care of medical professionals. I am a nurse and I have worked with MANY smokers, I can say they tend to be the least productive in a group. They frequently disappear to take smoke breaks and do not seem to handle stress or pressure as well as non-smokers. There are of course always exceptions to that generalization, but I would say the majority of smokers I have worked with fit this description. When stress runs high they just want to run to smoke or become highly agitated. Meanwhile, the rest of us work through our meal breaks and NEVER see a 15 minute break. We are lucky if we get to pee twice in a 12 hour shift.

This isn't any different than denying employment to someone for being overweight, or their age. I would challenge this in court if I knew the reason I was denied employment because I had a legal substance in my blood system. The premise that it is a "health issue" doesn't wash. There are already bans in place to prevent the USE of nicotine while working there.

Another example of the liberal left shoving their views on everyone else. I won't be using Baptist Hospital because I'm a smoker and I don't want to offend their delicate sensitivities. This whole country is turning to s**t behind all this political correctness.

We need the future president of San Antonio to step up and send a message to anyone that cares.

Whats everyone pissed about???? Why would you let any politician tell you that you cant smoke in a bar or anywhere else. I dont smoke, but I dont expect people to stop smoking because im where they are. Every smoker should have a day where they all light up. When they come around issuing class c's everyone should plead not guilty and ask for a jury trial. It will jam up the docket and court room so bad that the are back logged for 10 years. Then see what they do. When the hell did America change to when government can tell a business owner if his/her customers can smoke or not. Socialism/ Communisim in the works. What a bunch of BS I mean get for real bars where you cant smoke. Im glad I live in Guadalupe county F!@# San Antonio.

Baptist....the ER that demands money up front if you don't have insurance. BOYCOTT BAPTIST HEALTH SYSTEM!