Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt and Eneida Roldan, president and CEO of Jackson Health System, sign up to be Smoke Free Ambassadors as Asma Aftab and Ted Vana (background), members of the Smoke Free Campus Initiative, look on.

The Miller School of Medicine, UHealth – University of Miami Health System, and Jackson Health System came together to take a bold step during the 34th Annual Great American Smokeout. During this year’s event marking the national program, Pascal J. Goldschmidt, senior vice president for medical affairs and dean, stood side by side with Eneida Roldan, president and CEO of Jackson Health System, to announce that the University of Miami/Jackson medical campus will become smoke-free March 1, 2010.

The Smokeout, founded by the American Cancer Society, is aimed at encouraging people to stop smoking for one day, with the hope that they will kick the habit for good. Dean Goldschmidt, a renowned cardiologist and CEO of UHealth, told the scores of people gathered Thursday morning in Alamo Park that he has seen the damage smoking can cause. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. While he acknowledged that quitting smoking can be difficult, the dean declared that the goal is “to promote health and to promote wellness for everyone.”

That goal was echoed by Roldan, who said that going smoke free was a “great vision to make this a true wellness campus.” The Jackson chief pointed out the various booths set up with information about cessation programs, the dangers of smoking, nutrition, stress reduction, and exercise. Pamphlets, flyers, and banners contained facts about the physical benefits of quitting smoking. Twenty minutes after cessation, a person’s blood pressure drops to normal. Eight hours later. the oxygen level in the blood increases; 48 hours later, nerve endings start to regrow and the senses of smell and taste are enhanced.

The smoking ban will apply to all property owned or leased by the Miller School and Jackson Health System on the medical campus. In addition to the smoke-free buildings, smoking will also be prohibited in any outdoor areas on campus, including parking garages or in vehicles parked on campus. The Jackson North and South facilities will also fall under the smoke-free banner.

The campus effort, sponsored by the University of Miami Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program, is focused on education and encouragement. The goal, explained Dean Goldschmidt, is to help people understand the health benefits of quitting and steer them toward the wide variety of programs available to help them achieve that goal. University of Miami/Jackson residents Damien Hansra and Deepika Aneja organized the Smokeout event, themed Healthy Living.

A Ph.D. student in the pharmacology program, Yousuf Ali took the opportunity to speak with a smoking cessation counselor at the Smokeout. He’s had a tough time giving up those last few cigarettes he smokes each day. He said it was a matter of self-control but embraced the idea and expressed hope that the ban will be strictly enforced. The initiative will employ ambassadors to inform people about the policy and about the variety of cessation programs.

A dedicated Web page with information on cessation programs, health benefits, and other resources has already been launched under a “Be Smoke Free” button. Richard Thurer, professor of surgery and chair of the Smoke Free Campus Initiative, has been working on this project for several months and said going smoke free is “another program that demonstrates to all of South Florida that UHealth and the Jackson Health System are the leaders in health care.”