NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - If you smoke, don't bother applying for a job at Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach.
Starting Jan. 1, the hospital will no longer hire tobacco users.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports applicants will be tested for a nicotine byproduct and sign an agreement to remain tobacco-free throughout their employment. The policy doesn't apply to volunteers, medical staff or some 700 employees who are already working at the hospital.
In 2009 the hospital became a smoke-free campus. In January 2012, it started charging $25 per paycheck for smokers who elect to take health insurance.
If an employee hired after Jan. 1 tests positive for the nicotine byproduct will be subject to disciplinary action up to termination.
The hospital offers free tobacco-cessation counseling to employees and their families.
