Cleveland's MetroHealth System will implement a policy June 1 to not hire tobacco users, joining Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals as Northeast Ohio hospital systems to do so, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The 700 or so annual new hires will undergo health screenings and a urine test for tobacco use, but the 6,100 current employees are unaffected by the new policy. The move is in step with a national trend to curb unhealthy lifestyles, increase productivity and lower health-care costs, Daniel Lewis, chief administrative officer at MetroHealth, told the Plain Dealer.
