T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY Signs on the door of the Heinz Hall Smoking room direct smokers on rules.

Iowa Veterans Home resident and smoker Richard Keilholtz said he gets frustrated when he sits next to a smoker at the Meskwaki Casino near Tama.

The Vietnam veteran and Monticello native said while smoking is allowed in the casino, he can only smoke in designated areas at his residence because of a new federally-mandated policy implemented earlier this month at IVH. Keilholtz, 76, started a petition against the news policy and asked others to sign it.

“Smoking, including electronic cigarettes shall be permitted in designated supervised areas only and prohibited when oxygen is in use,” IVH Commandant Timon Oujiri said.

Oujiri said procedures were put in place to ensure safety of residents who smoke, as well as the safety of other residents and staff. Oujiri, who has been with IVH for a little over two years, said the policy’s key change designates where residents can and can not smoke.

The U.S. Veterans Administration issued the smoking policy mandate upon inspection of IVH earlier this month. The VA allocates a substantial amount of federal funds to IVH annually for facility construction and maintenance, resident care and a host of other initiatives.

“I had more than 100 names and turned it over to the (IVH) Residents Council,” Keilholtz said. “They said they were going to try and get more names on it.”

He said he is disappointed he and others smokers can’t smoke outside on campus which was allowed previously. Under the new policy, only Heinz Hall residents can smoke outside, and that area is not near the main entrance.

“I have to go to a smoking room in this (Malloy residence) building,” he said. “A maximum of 12 people are allowed. That is not a good environment … you should be able to get outside and smoke.”

Keilholtz said he agrees with a number of residents who believe they earned the right to smoke because of their military service.

“I served in-country Vietnam,” he said.

Keilholtz said when he returned from Vietnam he was an alcoholic. He attributed that to the fact servicemen and women could purchase beer for a nickel.

“I told my wife one day I was quitting and I did,” he said.

Esther Little formerly resided in Brandon and has lived at IVH 18 months.

“I see nothing wrong with them (fellow IVH residents) smoking,” Esther Little, 96, said. “The government started them smoking (by disbursing free cigarettes). I know the free cigarettes started my (late) husband smoking. He was not a smoker until he joined the U.S. Army during World War II.”

She is a former smoker, who quit when she was scheduled for surgery a number of years ago.

“I smoked 37 years,” she said. “But I never was an inhaler.”

Doug Minor and his wife recently moved to IVH after living in Burlington for many years.

Doug Minor said he smoked 37 years until he quit cold turkey. He said the new policy makes it easier for residents to avoid second- and third-hand cigarette smoke.

He offered a number tips for quitting cold turkey.

“One has to pick a day to quit,” he said. “And then you tell everyone you know. That way, if they see you smoking they can remind you about quitting.”

“They (IVH) is trying to help people quit smoking,” he said. “You never hear people say: ‘I wish I had not quit smoking.'”

The new IVH policy specifies:

1. Smoking is not permitted by residents in any facility building, entrance, hallway, restroom, public area or where oxygen is used or stored, except for the smoking rooms located on the Malloy Hall main floor, Dack Hall main floor and Heinz Hall first floor north lounge. All other units and inside areas have been designated as completely non-smoking.

2. Outdoor smoking is allowed for Heinz Hall residents only at the bottom of the main entrance ramp. This is unsupervised.

3. Residents must independently get to the smoking areas. Staff will not escort residents to smoking areas.

4. All oxygen equipment must be turned off and removed to a distance of a least 10 feet from any smoking area.

5. Residents who smoke will sign “Safety Expectations for Resident Smoking” on admission and with any incident identified.

In general, smoking is not allowed while in any state vehicle, on medical trips or on recreation trips. Smokers are required to clean up their own litter. Ouija said he knows the new rules have bothered some of the smokers on campus, but said they were implemented with safety in mind. The new policy says trained IVH staff will assist smokers with smoking reduction and cessation.

Veterans Administration role

VA guidelines indicate IVH and resident smokers were not singled out by the VA, rather, the new policy applies to all VA facilities nationwide.

A May letter from Judith Johnson-Mekota, director of the Iowa City VA Health Care System, said the organization “has a strong commitment to protecting and promoting the health and safety of patients, visitors, contractors, vendors and volunteers.”

“The Surgeon General Reports of 2006, 2010 and 2014 concluded cigarette smoking is the number one preventable cause of of illness/disease and premature death worldwide. Studies have shown the harmful effects of smoking extend to co-workers and members of the public exposed to second-hand smoke. These reports indicate there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. There are also new studies that show risks to those exposed to thirdhand smoke.

“Therefore, the Iowa City VA Health Care System will transition to a smoke-free campus by July 1, 2019. This will include cigars, cigarettes, pipes and any other combustion of tobacco and non-Federal Drug Administration approved nicotine delivery system, including but not limited to electronic or e-cigarettes, vape-pens or e-cigars.”

IVH is one of the largest state veteran homes in the U.S. The facility is licensed for 113 beds for residential care and 474 beds for nursing level.

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Contact Mike Donahey at 641-753-6611 or mdonahey@timesrepublican.com