Smoke Free

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Marketing & Community Relations

Mental Health Services

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Mark , PD

Director of Community Relations

Crossroads Hospital

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AREA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE AGENCIES ADOPT

TOBACCO-FREE ENVIRONMENT POLICY BEGINNING JULY 1

ALEXANDRIA, LA – oct 24, 2008 – Christian Mental Health

Services and Crossroads Hospital, with the support of Network 180 and Kent County

Health Department, will be jointly adopting a “tobacco-free patient and work

environment” at each organization’s respective inpatient and outpatient locations. This

policy will apply to patients, visitors and staff.

“Tobacco use is a major public health challenge. Each year, cigarette smoking

accounts for nearly one of every five deaths in the United States,” said Cathy Raevsky,

administrative health officer for Kent County Health Department. “The Kent County

Health Department applauds the voluntary steps that Pine Rest and Crossroads are

taking to implement a tobacco-free work and patient-care environment. These measures

ultimately support healthy lifestyles in the broader community.”

Research indicates that 70 percent to 90 percent of persons with chronic

schizophrenia and 40 percent to 50 percent of persons diagnosed with depression or

anxiety are smokers. In addition, 80 percent of persons with alcohol dependence are

smokers.1

“We are glad to cooperate with the community efforts of the seriousness of this

addiction, and the need to understand its impact on mental health,” said Alex Masterson,

MD, medical director of child and adolescent services at Crossroads Hospital.

“Historically, patients at behavioral health and substance use treatment facilities

have allowed smoking because it was not viewed as a “crisis” illness, so this will be quite

a change,” said Jim Bottenhorn, MA, LLP, director of hospital admissions for Pine Rest.

“Our role as providers is to help our patients begin the recovery process by helping them

develop more effective ways of coping with stress and uncomfortable emotions.”

Crossroads will be providing nicotine replacement therapies to

help alleviate the discomfort of withdrawal for patients receiving care on the adult

inpatient units, as well as information on community tobacco cessation and recovery

programs. Visitors will be asked to leave all tobacco products and smoking materials in

the car while visiting.

According to research completed by Doug Davis, MD, assistant professor of

psychiatry at Florida State University and the University of Florida, one-third of all

smokers have a co-occurring mental health disorder. Further, among persons diagnosed

with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder, 80 percent to 90 percent

smoke.2

“Pine Rest and Crossroads are committed to compassionate care, to the recovery

of our patients and their families, and view their health and wellness as a key component

of that recovery. Therefore, we cannot ignore the issue of tobacco use on our campuses,”

said Denise Gribbin, MD, chief medical officer for Pine Rest. “Research tells us that

tobacco use affects treatment outcomes and medication efficacy. Medicines are more

effective when people do not smoke and do observe healthier lifestyle choices.”

“As an addictionist and psychiatrist, I am very glad that Pine Rest and Forest

View are going to be tobacco-free on July 1,” said Stan Gunadi, MD, medical director for

Crossroads Hospital. “We cannot continue to contribute, to feed an addiction that is

even worse in its medical and financial consequences than even alcohol. It has been

proven that public health measures like this have been effective in reducing the smoking

rate of the population. Congratulations to the management of both agencies.”

Mark Witte, populations service manager for Network 180 agreed. “Our goal is

to deal with a special problem for people with mental illnesses and/or addictive disorders,

and that is the unbelievably high rate of smoking in this population - which seriously

complicates both treatment and recovery, and, ultimately, leads to other chronic illnesses

and premature death. We applaud and support Crossroads’s and Pine Rest’s efforts to

provide a healthier environment for our patients, for their families and for the people who

serve them.”

For more information about Crossroads Hospital, visit

www.xroadshospital.com. For more information about Pine Rest Christian Mental