Recognize impact of smoking ban on psychiatric patients, advocate urges.

TORONTO -- The Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office requests that hospitals recognize the potential impact on patients' quality of life if smoking is banned.

The principles adopted by the PPAO to guide their advocacy work include affirming patients' right to choose to smoke, consulting with patients in developing smoking policies, applying policies equally and not using access to smoking as a reward or punishment for behaviour, and providing free cessation aids for people who choose to quit.

The Office has developed a set of advocacy guidelines for restrictive smoking policies in psychiatric hospitals. The guidelines note that smoking is 'a significant part of the hospital culture,' and that up to 80 percent of psychiatric hospital patients smoke. Recently, a patient at the Oak Ridge psychiatric facility lost his court challenge to the hospital's ban on smoking, although the judge urged hospital staff to show sympathy to patients adjusting to a smoke-free environment.

The PPAO is funded by the Ontario Ministry Of Health and Long-Term Care to provide individual rights advice for inpatient psychiatric patients as well as systemic advocacy and education. Their guidelines note the current re-evaluation of smoking policies in psychiatric hospitals, including potentially banning all smoking on hospital grounds.

View PPAO's Guidelines--go to communityaction.ca