Dorothy Westerman
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 02/05) - A hospital is not exactly high on the list of Yellowknife's popular nightclubs, but a renewal of its liquor licence offers a chance for some patients to sip a cocktail.

The hospital pharmacy is the holder of the booze dispensing ticket, but don't look for a bartender polishing glasses while she or he waits for the next customer.

And you can definitely leave the dancing shoes at home.

"It is in the liquor regulations that no special permit shall be issued except to a druggist, physician, dentist or veterinarian," said Delila St. Arneault of the NWT liquor licence board.

This gives the hospital the authority to give shots of liquor to certain types of patients, she said.

Serving a prescribed amount of alcohol to long term care patients within a hospital setting is normal practice, says Heather Chang, quality and risk management co-ordinator at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

"I've been nursing for 25 years and when I was a student, I remember many of our patients would receive little nightcaps ordered by their doctor," Chang recalled.

The idea is that having a rye and coke at bedtime, for example, is a more pleasant sedative than popping a chemical sleeping pill. As anyone who's spent any time in a hospital might guess, patients are under enough stress just being there. Having a drink of something tasty is a humanizing way for the patient to feel comfortable.

"If a patient or family requests that alcohol be served to the residents, then it is a discussion that happens with the whole care team, including the family," Chang said.

"If it is agreed that this would be helpful to the patient, it would be prescribed by the physician," she said.

Not happy hour

But that doesn't mean the patient has access to an open-ended happy hour. "(The shot of booze) would be a certain amount and prescribed by a physician, much like a prescription would be," Chang said.

Usually the drink is fairly basic: a cup, ice, mix and the shot of alcohol. No blenders, olives for martinis, or tiny paper umbrellas.

It's also up to the family of the patient to make a run to the liquor store for any flavours the patient enjoys, Chang said.

While available, passing out drinks to patients is not that common... only because the clientele is few in number.

Currently in the long-term care unit, Chang said there are no residents who imbibe.

"At this time, we don't have anyone who has requested alcohol," Chang said.

As well, some patients are in the hospital for reasons that need them to be teetotalers, whether they wish to be or not.

"Because Stanton's long term care unit is the unit where patients most often require the highest level of care, most of our patients are not candidates for this type of thing," Chang said.

The liquor licence is renewed annually by the hospital.