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Some patients may still smoke at hospitals 

As Valley hospitals continue to enforce newly minted tobacco-free policies, two health systems are giving some patients a free pass on the restriction.

Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, and Berwick Hospital Center are keeping an exemption in place for a few behavioral health patients who face challenges that exceed the stress of having to forgo a smoke break.

Geisinger is allowing some patients in its Behavioral Health Unit to smoke on its recreation deck under the supervision of staff, who like other employees are still restricted from smoking on campus.

The deck can only be accessed by those patients in the unit, according to Tom Schaeffer, Geisinger's public relations and marketing coordinator.

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