Smoking privileges cause AMHI tension 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

Associated Press

AUGUSTA � Smoking privileges have become a volatile issue at Augusta Mental Health Institute, where violence flared up recently after patients demanded more opportunities to smoke. Four AMHI employees went to a hospital after being injured May 4 in a scuffle that they said was triggered by a forensic patient's demand to smoke more and be left alone while smoking.

Another incident, on May 7, escalated to near-violence after other forensic patients learned that hospital staff members had extended extra smoking privileges to one patient.

"It's become very problematic," said Jamie Morrill, AMHI's acting superintendent. "But it's something I have to address in the very near future. The smoking issue is getting out of hand."

Morrill said the new $33 million Riverview Psychiatric Center, built next to AMHI, won't resolve the issue because it was designed to be smoke-free and smokers will still have to leave the building to light up.

Cigarette smoking privileges have traditionally been used as rewards and punishment to control patients' behavior, Morrill said.

Investigative reports on the two recent incidents have been kept secret, but reportedly the May 7 confrontation grew out of attempts by hospital staff to decide smoking privileges based on individual patient needs. But stretching the rules led to resentment by other patients.

Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the state psychiatric hospital. It is becoming more difficult to provide smoking breaks outside the hospital because nonsmoking staff members do not want to be exposed to secondhand smoke.

Morrill worries that focusing too much attention on smoking and its role within the hospital can create its own crisis.

"The more you make it a big deal the more it gets to be a big deal . . . I don't know what to do with this thing. This is the next thing I'm going to have to tackle."


Press Herald