Attendants will monitor Laurel Crest smokers

BY SANDRA K. REABUCK
The Tribune-Democrat

EBENSBURG January 19, 2008 12:12 am

— Residents of Laurel Crest – who are allowed to light up cigarettes, cigars or pipes in a smoke hut outside of Cambria County’s nursing home – soon will have an attendant on duty round the clock.
It’s described as a cost-saving measure for a monitoring task that had been done by higher-paid employees, including nurse’s aides, President Commissioner P.J. Stevens said.
On Friday, the commissioners created five full-time smoke-hut attendant positions, effective Jan. 18.
The attendants will be paid $8.34 an hour.
That pay rate is $1.15 an hour less than the $9.50 paid to starting part-time nurse’s aides.
In addition to the savings, the step will free the aides and others to continue performing their regular duties, Stevens said.
The smoke-hut is a pre-fabricated structure that was erected in 2005. It’s similar to an enclosed porch or a small greenhouse.
It was built after smoking restrictions were established when a resident, while smoking, set a chair on fire. After that, the state Department of Health directed that smoking only be allowed under employee supervision.
The smoking shelter has exhaust fans for ventilation, window panels with screens that can be opened in the summer and two small electric heaters.
No steps have been taken to ban all smoking, the commissioners said.