A year without tobacco

The Alachua County Health Department recently honored the UF Health Science Center and Shands HealthCare for being a tobacco-free campus.

One year ago, the UF Health Science Center and Shands at UF made a commitment to be tobacco-free together. On Nov. 1, leaders from the Alachua County Health Department recognized the anniversary of this milestone with two plaques they presented during a ceremony in the Founders Gallery. Steven B. Pokorny, Ph.D., director of health promotion at the Alachua County Health Department, and T.J. Harrington, vice chair of Tobacco Free Alachua, presented the award. Shown from left are Andrew Romero of the Alachua Department of Health; Irene Alexaitis, R.N., vice president of nursing and patient services at Shands at UF; Michael Good, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine; David Guzick, M.D. Ph.D., senior vice president for health affairs and president of the UF&Shands Health System; Harrington; and Pokorny.