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A tobacco-use ban could be a catalyst for KU policy
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
A new Lawrence Parks and Recreation policy could limit smoking in public parks.
DARBY VANHOUTAN
@darbyvanhoutan
Parks in Lawrence could soon be tobacco-free if a draft policy passes.
Lawrence Parks and Recreation created a draft in November that would ban tobacco use on its land and in all parks. Similar policies were drafted in 2013 and 2014, but neither passed through the Parks and Recreation Department.
Charlie Bryan, community health planner for the Lawrence and Douglas County Health Department, is working on making Lawrence's new policy and on making the University tobacco free.
"Our goal is to ban the use of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes in outdoor spaces where children typically gather, which are parks." Bryan said. "We also involve in supporting KU's goal to become tobacco free."
There are 471 tobacco-free campuses in the United States, according to the American Lung Association, but the University is not one of them. Some have called for making campus completely tobacco free, but smoking is only banned in campus buildings, student housing and Memorial Stadium, according to the smoking policy webpage.
The move to make the University a 100 percent tobacco-free campus began in March 2013 when Student Senate created a survey to gauge students' interest in a more restrictive smoking policy. In May 2013, the Department of Human Resources followed suit and created a similar survey.
In both surveys, the majority of respondents said they'd prefer a stricter campus tobacco policy and would be in favor of a smoke-free campus.
Ola Faucher, KU Human Resources director and chair of the Tobacco Free KU Steering Committee, said the survey results spurred support for a tobacco-free campus.
"At this time, there did seem to be interest in having a tobacco-free campus policy in place," Faucher said. "[The petition is] what started it."
In 2015, the University drafted a proposal to ban the use of tobacco and electronic cigarettes on campus. This policy would
apply to faculty, staff, students and visitors. The ban on tobacco would apply to the Lawrence and Edwards campuses. This includes the Kansas and Burge Unions, athletic facilities and research facilities.
The drafted policy lays out reasoning behind the need for a tobacco-free campus:
"KU is strongly committed to supporting individuals to become tobacco free to encourage a respectful, healthier, and more productive learning/living environment for all members of our campus community. Studies, many conducted by our KU colleagues, have proven time and again that tobacco is a leading cause of death from many diseases, both for those who use tobacco products and those who are exposed to them on a second or third-hand basis."
This Parks and Recreation draft could mean a quicker start to the University's projected policies as well, Faucher said. The draft is up for discussion at the Lawrence Parks and Recreation December meeting.
"Activity in the community is supportive of our efforts." Faucher said. "If Parks and Rec con-
tines on with this draft, then we can point to the community and say, 'See, even the community is making progress.' We can partner with them and do the same."
The proposed tobaccofree University policy would go into effect on July 1, 2016. However, Faucher said it may be more likely to happen sometime in 2017.
Things like funding, for signs, cultural change and the enforcement of the policies are obstacles associated with getting the University draft passed, Faucher said.
"Campus' transition to tobacco free really is a cultural change and really does take some time," Faucher said.
Both Bryan and Faucher said the want for the University to become a tobacco-free campus is shown in the 2013 survey and support from the community.
"You don't go to high school and see people using tobacco," Bryan said. "These ages — high school to college — are when people are most vulnerable to becoming tobacco users."
Watkins Health Center opens faculty and staff care clinic to boost revenue
Edited by Dani Malakoff
ALANA FLINN
@alana_flinn
Watkins Health Services opened its first-ever Faculty and Staff Immediate Care Clinic yesterday in hopes of improving revenue.
The clinic, converted from a sports medicine wing, is located on the second floor of Watkins and will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chief of Staff Dr. Douglas Dechairo said the idea for the clinic was formed following a significant decrease in fee-for-service revenue, services that patients pay for out-of-pocket as opposed to insurance being billed.
The fee-for-service model aims to increase revenue by encouraging faculty patients to use other services at Watkins for their treatments, such as X-Rays, the pharmacy or lab testing.
"If we have more faculty and
staff members coming through and needing services such as prescriptions or labs, they are more likely to get them done here instead of going somewhere else because its one-stop-shop," Dechairo said. "We'll be able to take that revenue we make from the faculty and staff and give extra benefits to students. The whole purpose of creating a fee-for-service model here is to help benefit students."
When planning the clinic, Watkins administered a survey to faculty and staff. According to the results, faculty wanted urgent care services most, as opposed to services for their spouses or dependents.
"It's a benefit to faculty and staff members to be able to be at work, get sick, come down here and be seen and get treated on the same
While the new clinic is specifically for staff and faculty to be treated, Dechairo said it benefits the University as a whole.
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Watkins Health Center at 1200 Schweegler Dr.
day," Dechairo said. "We, in some respects, support the University by giving a certain percentage of fee for service dollars back [to the
University]. This is a win for everybody, but the main reason for why we did this is for students."
Edited by Leah Sitz