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Local Fair Welcomes Smoke Free
Kids’ Zone
By Amy Ward -
Executive Director
Tobacco Free Benton-Franklin Counties
partnered with the Benton-Franklin Fair and Rodeo to offer a
Smoke Free area for children who attend the fair. The Kids’
Zone is a designated Smoke Free area and anyone found smoking in
this area will be asked to leave. This smoke free zone was
created in an effort to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke,
reduce trash, and eliminate unhealthy role modeling.
For more information
contact Amy Ward at amy@tobacco-free.net.
Youth Advisory Board Returns
October 2009
By Melanie Norris - Tobacco
Prevention Coordinator
During the month of October the Tobacco
Free Benton Franklin Counties’ Youth Advisory Board (YAB) will
have their first meeting of the year. The Youth Advisory Board
gives students an opportunity to volunteer at community events,
participate in local media campaigns through Public Service
Announcements and choose a specific anti-tobacco issue in the
community to address during the school year. This advisory board
will give high school students in Benton-Franklin Counties an
opportunity to work together, share ideas, and continue their
work around tobacco awareness in the community. The Advisory
Board positions are open to any high school student currently
participating in a prevention group at their school.
If you would like more information, or have youth who would be
interested in being on the Youth Advisory Board please contact
Melanie Norris at
Melanie@tobacco-free.net
 Public
Housing Units Look at Smoke Free Policy
By Amy Ward - Executive Director
In
July the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued
a strong recommendation to implement smoke free policies in
public housing Units.
There are over 1.2 million residents who reside in public
housing. Children under the age of 18 and adults over the age of
62 represent the majority of those living in public housing, and
are also a population who is at an increased health risk of the
adverse effects of secondhand smoke.
Secondhand Smoke can migrate between units in multifamily
housing causing respiratory illness, heart disease, cancer or
other adverse health effects to families in nearby units.
Therefore the Department is encouraging Public Housing
Authorities to adopt smoke free policies.
The
Department does recognize that smoking is an addictive behavior
and encourages those running local housing units to provide
residents with information on local smoking cessation programs.
The
staff at Tobacco Free Benton-Franklin Counties helped the
Franklin County HUD go smoke free two years ago and is working
with the Kennewick HUD to provide resources for residents as
they review the possibility of also going smoke free.
For more information contact Amy
Ward at
amy@tobacco-free.net.
Youth Access Statistics
June 2008 - July 2009
Benton County 93% compliant
Franklin County 91% compliant
For information about Youth Access
contact Corey Wakeley at
corey@tobacco-free.net.
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