Report Examines Tobacco Policies at Behavioral Health Facilities

About half of mental health facilities and one-third of substance use treatment facilities reported having smoke-free campuses in 2016, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Nearly half of mental health facilities and two-thirds of substance use treatment facilities screened patients for tobacco use, but fewer offered counseling or other therapies to quit, based on survey data. “Several actions could help address actual and perceived barriers to integrating tobacco dependence treatment into behavioral health treatment,” the authors said. “These actions could include removing administrative and financial barriers to delivery of cessation interventions and integrating tobacco screening and treatment protocols into facilities’ workflows and electronic health record systems.” People with mental or substance use disorders are more than twice as likely to smoke as those without, and are more likely to die from a smoking-related illness than from a behavioral health condition, the report notes.