Address tobacco use at your facility.(Letters)

For years treatment centers and hospitals have not fully addressed tobacco and its impact on staff, patients and recovery. Policies from the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM); NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals; and the medical associations of the United States and Canada encourage all hospitals, medical schools and addiction treatment services to address nicotine on a par with other chemical dependencies. However, many in our profession have yet to acknowledge, embrace and put into practice these principles and guidelines. For those who do make efforts, anchoring the changes in the culture can prove difficult.

Our organizations must have champions at high leadership levels, including in administration, clinical services, physician practice and nursing, and they must be visible in their support of the effort. Transparency in ...