Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay will begin a countdown to a smoke-free campus starting Nov. 20 during the Great American Smoke Out.

On June 1, the hospital will be a tobacco-free campus. Starting that day, no tobacco use of any kind will be permitted — inside or outside — on hospital property, a press release said.

The initiative will include the elimination of designated areas outside where employees, patients and visitors are permitted to use tobacco products. The smoke out is designed to provide support to patients and employees who wish to quit smoking.

On average, seven Oregonians are diagnosed with lung cancer and six die from lung cancer every day. Even though lung cancer causes 28 percent of all deaths in Oregon, it is only one of the many cancers associated with tobacco use, the press release said.

The U.S. Surgeon General attributes cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, bladder, stomach, cervix, kidney, pancreas and acute myeloid leukemia to tobacco use. Exposure to second-hand smoke has been confirmed to be the cause of about 800 deaths a year in Oregon. Second-hand smoke is now known to be a serious health hazard and it’s been determined that there is no risk-free level of exposure.

Bay Area Hospital is asking for community support in its tobacco-free initiative and invites people interested in quitting tobacco use to pick up a free “quit pack” of supplies on the first floor lobby from Monday through Thursday, Nov. 17-20.