Estimates of Smoking-Related Property Costs

Great article in this month’s APHA journal entitled “Estimates of Smoking-Related Property Costs”. Great to help support moving towards smoke free housing as we work more on this issue.
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300170

Abstract: We systematically evaluated smoking-related costs in multiunit housing. From 2008 to 2009, we surveyed California multiunit housing owners or managers on their past-year smoking-related costs and smoke-free policies. A total of 27.1% of respondents had incurred smoking-related costs (mean $4935), and 33.5% reported complete smoke-free policies, which lowered the likelihood of incurring smoking-related costs. Implementing statewide complete smoke-free policies may save multiunit housing property owners $18094254 annually.
(Am J Public Health. 2012;102:490–493. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300170)

As a reminder: CINCH is hosting a regional Smoke-free Properties Leadership and Dialogue meeting on March 6th.

Report on How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease

How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease is a comprehensive, scientific discussion of how mainstream and secondhand smoke exposures damage the human body.

Freedom From Smoking Train-the-Trainer/Facilitator Workshop

Become a certified facilitator in America’s gold standard in smoking cessation that has helped thousands of people quit smoking – Freedom From Smoking. Being a Freedom From Smoking facilitator means that you’ll lead adult smokers through the program, and help them become ex-smokers, by conducting the eight week program in your community.
Learn important facilitation skills to help you effectively relate to adult smokers. Find out about the latest developments in smoking cessation medications and much more at this one day training. Are you already an experienced Freedom From Smoking facilitator? Do you want to train new Freedom From Smoking facilitators in your community? Sign up for both days of this training session and become a certified Freedom From Smoking Trainer!
WHEN: September 21-22, 2010, Baltimore, MD
Times on the 21st – 8.30am – 4.30 pm
Times on the 22nd – 8.30am – 12.30pm
*Please Note: Facilitator training will take place on the 21st.Trained facilitators who want to become trainers must attend both days. jlazar@lungusa.org

Annual TUCP Training Meeting

The Annual TUCP Training Meeting is being held on November 5, 2009 at the Marriott Richmond West Hotel. The theme for this year's meeting is Working Together to Create Healthy Communities. Within that theme, the meeting objective is to encourage integration of tobacco use control as a cross-cutting risk factor for the management and prevention of chronic and communicable diseases.
The registration is $15.00 and it includes six CHES credits, educational material, and lunch. Hotel has free parking, located off I-64 in the Innsbrook business area, and handicapped accessible. To register for this event go to:
http://www.vahealth.org/forms/healthy_commmunities_annualmeeting.htm

If additional information is needed, please contact by email BA.Caro-Justin@vdh.virginia.gov or by phone, 804-864-7876.

Smoke Free Restaurants in Virginia Q & A

The questions below were answered by Gary Hagy, Virginia Dept. of Health. For additional information contact Gary Hagy – gary.hagy@vdh.virginia.gov

1. If you go into a restaurant and there is smoking, what can you do? First, restaurants can create smoking rooms that are physically separated and properly vented. However, if you observe someone smoking in a non-smoking area you should first discuss with the issue with the manager. If he does not ask the patron to cease smoking, contact the local health department and report the incident. You can also report the incident to local law enforcement
2. Who issues the citations? What is the amount of the citation? Local law enforcement can issue citations. The maximum civil penalty is $25
3. How often can they receive citations? For each day they are in violation
4. What happens if they continually refuse to be smoke free? The law only authorizes a maximum $25 civil penalty. The permit to operate a restaurant is linked to compliance with the new smoking law.

Tobacco Use Control Annual Training Meeting

The Tobacco Use Control Project is having its Annual Training Meeting on November 5, 2009. As many have experienced, we all are having budget restraints, and printing is one area that we can reduce our expenses. Therefore, we have eliminated the cost of a slick, brochure and mailing and sending this information to you by email. The registration fee has been kept low so that it can accomodate everyone's' budget and encourage our partners, coalition members and colleagues to plan on attending this Annual Training. We are hoping that if you are not able to attend, but know someone in your organization or advocate that can benefit by attending this meeting, please share the attached information. The presenters are all outstanding and will be sharing their strategies and programs that can be implemented towards "Working Together To Create Healthy Communities".
http://www.vahealth.org/cdpc/TUCP/

If you need additional information, please contact me either by email or by phone, 804-864-7876 (direct line). We look forward to seeing you on November 5th. Thank YOU! Bunny Caro-Justin

Kick Butts Day 2009

Are you interested in organizing a Kick Butts Day on March 25th. As you may know, this is a campaign created by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and helps to raise young adult's awareness about the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke.

If any of you have questions or if I can be of assistance please do let me know. If you all do decide to have some sort of event if you could let me know that would be fantastic.
Nicole Pugar, Nicole@vfhf.org

Kick Butts day resources - http://kickbuttsday.org/resources/downloads.php

ALA of Virginia,"Smokefree VA campaign"

Please plan to join the American Lung Association of Virginia and our partners in the smokefree Virginia campaign, Virginians for a Healthy Future, on these two important dates:
January 14, 2009
The annual "Here's to Your Health" Legislative Reception will give you an opportunity to talk with state legislators in a social setting and tell them why Virginia needs to be smokefree!
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Old City Hall, 1001 East Broad Street, Richmond
Legislative reception is RSVP for legislators only.

January 21, 2009
Lobby Day at the General Assembly will give you an opportunity to talk with your state legislators and/or their assistant about the need for smokefree public places and other issues important to lung health.
Time: 9:30 a.m. at the Library of Virginia.

Lobby Day is RSVP for all to ddebiasi@lungva.org

Secondhand Smoke May Induce Nicotine Dependence Symptoms

If parents are serious about keeping their children from smoking, says a new study, they shouldn't smoke around them -- and not just because doing so sets a negative example. According to senior author Dr. Jennifer O'Loughlin of the Université de Montréal's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, "Increased exposure to second-hand smoke, both in cars and homes, was associated with an increased likelihood of children reporting nicotine dependence symptoms, even though these children had never smoked." The study appears in the September edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors.
Read the full article at:http://nouvelles.umontreal.ca/content/view/1811/206/

Web Site Offers Information on the Smoking Status of all Restaurants in Virginia

The Office of Environmental Health Service’s restaurant inspection Web site (www.healthspace.ca/vdh) now provides information on the smoking status for all fast food and full service restaurants in the Commonwealth. The information is provided by locality. Non-smoking facilities are identified with a distinctive icon. A non-smoking designation means that smoking is not permitted anywhere inside the restaurant but may be permitted outside. The addition of smoking status helps the public become well-informed food service consumers. The Web site is updated following inspections by environmental health specialists. It enables the public to monitor ongoing compliance with the food safety requirements and the current smoking status in their favorite restaurants. This Web site has been very popular with the public and the media averaging more than 90,000 visits (1.7 million hits) per month since its inception in May 2003.

National Alliance For Tobacco Cessation

This is a well done new web-based smoking cessation program that is very practical, free, and seems easy to use. Pass it on to anyone who might benefit. This is a new website from The National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation (NATC).

http://www.becomeanex.org/

American Lung Association Update

Big Tobacco's Guinea Pigs: How an Unregulated Industry Experiments on America's Kids and Consumers - This report details how tobacco companies manipulate their products to recruit new youth users, create and sustain addiction, and discourage users from quitting.

Governor Kaine to Hold More Town Hall Meetings

Governor Kaine will continue holding town hall meetings the week of March 17 - 21, 2008.
Supporters of the smoke free air laws to thank the Governor for his support of smoke free air legislation and encourage legislator to support smoke free air legislation.
Monday, March 17, 2008,Roanoke,Time: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm,Location: Patrick Henry High School Auditorium, 2102 Grandin Road Southwest,Roanoke, VA
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - Norfolk,Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm, Location: Virginia Weslyan College Dining Center,1584 Weslyan Drive, Norfolk, VA
Thursday, March 20, 2008 - Front Royal,Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm,Location: Skyline High School Cafeteria,151 Skyline Vista Drive,Front Royal, VA

Younger Smokers May Have More Success at Quitting

Want to help people quit smoking? A new study from the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, suggests getting to smokers when they're younger may produce the best results. "Most previous studies focused on smokers aged 35 and older who have smoked for 20 years or more," said John P. Pierce, Ph.D., director of UC San Diego's Cancer Prevention and Control Program. "That has led to an overemphasis on drug treatments to help cessation, whereas this study emphasized the importance of implementing a smoke free home if a smoker wants to quit successfully." The study appears in the January 2, 2008, edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

Read the full article at:
http://cancer.ucsd.edu/AboutUs/News/
stories/Pierce_YoungSmoke.asp

For more information on Tobacco Free Hampton Roads - a partnership coordinated by CINCH visit:
http://tobaccofreehamptonroads.blogspot.com/

GoingSmokeFree.org: A Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-Free Laws

The Site is a Clearinghouse of Activities, Events, and Tools for States and Communities in Planning, Implementing and Supporting Smoke-Free Laws
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in partnership with the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, has created GoingSmokeFree.org, a free online resource to help states and communities implement smoke-free laws.

- Go to the toolkit.
- Learn more, and view other resources.

You have received this e-mail alert because you have elected to receive information from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on: Public Health and Tobacco.

Great American Smokeout - November 15, 2007

November 15, 2007, marks the American Cancer Society's 31st annual Great American Smokeout, an event designed to encourage cigarette smokers to quit smoking for at least 1 day so that they might quit permanently.

Information on the Great American Smokeout is available at http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/ped_10_4.asp or by telephone: 800-227-2345. Advice on how to quit smoking is available at http://www.smokefree.gov

National FDA Tobacco Legislation Call-in Day - October 2, 2007

Mark your calendars! On October 2, join with thousands of
advocates from across the country to call their Members of
Congress to advocate for the regulation of tobacco products by
the Food and Drug Administration. HR 1108, the Family Smoking
Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, is currently pending before
Congress and on Wednesday, October 3rd, the House Subcommittee
on Health will hold a hearing on this critical legislation.

This legislation will:
*Restrict tobacco marketing and sales to kids,
*Require changes in tobacco products to make them less toxic and
less addictive,
*Stop tobacco companies from misleading the public about the
health consequences of using their products.

These are all common-sense consumer protections that should have
been passed a long time ago.

Next week, we will send a reminder about the National FDA
Tobacco Legislation Call-In Day along with talking points. In
the meantime, please mark October 2nd down on your calendar.