The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Patients and staff will soon be forced to leave Flin Flon General Hospital property for their nicotine fix. The NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority is set to make nearly all of its property smoke-free effective May 31. 'Patients, upon admission, will be offered nicotine replacement therapy,' says NRHA spokesperson Corliss Patterson, 'which includes (a) nicotine patch, gum, inhalers and counseling to help the discomfort of nicotine withdrawal while in the hospital.' Patterson says the NRHA will also 'provide preventive and supportive measures to assist clients in adapting to smoke-free environments.' An exception to the new rule will be the Northern Lights Manor, where elderly residents will maintain access to a ventilated smoking room approved by the government. Flin Flon's other care home, the Personal Care Home, has been smokeless for some time. Smoking is not permitted inside the hospital, forcing puffers to light up outside, sometimes near the main entrance. Questions But come the end of the month, they will have to be off of hospital property, raising questions about how elderly or mobility-challenged patients will cope. But for city councillor and former smoker Bill Hanson, the pros of the move outweigh any potential cons. See 'It's...' on pg. 6 Continued from pg. 1 'It's a sign of the times,' says Hanson, an NRHA employee. ''We've got to protect the public from smoking' is what they're saying.' Hanson, a long-time on-and-off smoker who quit last November, admits the ban would upset him if he were a patient and still lighting up. 'But we haven't been able to smoke in bars and restaurants for quite a while, either,' he says. Hanson thinks Flin Flon's is the last hospital in the province to permit smoking on its property even with 'the world going smoke-free.' Patterson says the NRHA's motivation is to promote the health and well-being of patients, staff and visitors. 'As a provider of health care, it is important that we model healthy practices,' she says. 'The health hazards related to tobacco use have been well documented. These health hazards not only affect the smoker, but also the non-smoker, who is exposed to second-hand smoke. Recent studies support the evidence that exposure to second-hand smoke is detrimental to health, confirming our commitment to further reduce exposure.' Rates dropped For Hanson, local smoking rates have clearly dropped. He says when the R.H. Channing Auditorium is packed for an event today, there are perhaps 25 or 30 smokers compared to 75 or 100 smokers years back. The NRHA has been promoting the smoke-free move with an extensive advertising campaign that includes billboards. The ban was decided before the NDP government recently announced the NOR-MAN and Burntwood RHAs will merge, likely in the coming weeks. The amalgamation will not impact the incoming ban.
