Smoking ban on health grounds

Almost all tobacco use on Sunrise Health Region grounds will be banned as of July 1, 2013.

That's the largest policy change to come out of the region's new Tobacco Reduction Plan approved at the end of January. The ban makes individual exceptions for ceremonial use, for long-term care residents, and for patients unable to use cessation tools for medical reasons, but otherwise prohibits all tobacco use indoors or outdoors on health region property.

Dr. Mandiangu Nsungu, Sunrise medical health officer, notes that the region is aware that "bans alone do not work." A variety of support services, including counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, will be made available to patients and staff to help with the transition.

Still, the doctor recognizes that the change will not be easy for everyone.

"If you are just visiting the health region it will not be a problem, but if you have to stay there for a while, especially if you are a patient and you have to be admitted at one of the facilities, it may be challenging if you have to deal with that habit or in some cases that addiction."

But the health region believes the ban is "something worth doing."

"It is actually in line with our vision in the region," says Nsungu, "which is 'Working together for healthy people in healthy communities.'"

The region's policy makers feel that previous rules restricting smoking to designated areas didn't go far enough.

"One example I can give you is that if you are smoking maybe a few meters away from the entrance to the hospital, you are not in the building, but the people who come to the hospital have to walk through the smoke," says Nsungu.

The Tobacco Reduction Plan comes as the result of several months of consultation with the region's staff, board, executives, and Ethics Committee.

"Definitely not everybody was agreeable at the first discussion," says Nsungu, but the plan was amended several times to take into account some of the concerns raised.

The tobacco ban and related support services are one part of a "two-pronged" approach to reduce tobacco use in the health region. The second half of the plan will extend education and support programs into the community.

That part of the Tobacco Reduction Plan is in its infancy, says Dr. Nsungu, but it will likely be implemented through the formation of a committee between the health region and various partners in Sunrise communities.

"What that partnership should be doing, in my view, is identifying those initiatives that are taking place already, and maybe enhance them. And where nothing has been started so far, maybe it would make a lot of sense to try and initiate those types of activities."