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Press Releases from the TC Health Department |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: OR Local tobacco groups plan survey of area residents. A survey of tobacco use, attitudes and perceptions will be conducted among Tompkins and Cortland County residents beginning later this month. The Tobacco Control Coalitions of Tompkins and Cortland Counties are conducting the telephone survey to obtain information that will help guide the coalitions' activities in the coming years. Watertown, NY-based Joel LaLone Consulting, a specialist in community studies, has been contracted to administer the survey. The survey was developed with the Tobacco Surveillance, Evaluation and Research Team of the New York State Department of Health in Albany. The same survey will be conducted in Cayuga, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties, and will be repeated in one year. The tobacco survey of adults living in Tompkins and Cortland counties will run from May 23 to June 7, 2004. Four hundred randomly selected residents from each county will be polled by telephone. Questions will cover topics such as tobacco marketing and promotion, the state's clean indoor air law, and use of tobacco products. The survey call will take about five minutes. Participation in the survey is voluntary and individuals may decline to answer particular questions, may discontinue the survey at any time, or decline to take the survey altogether. The survey is completely anonymous and all calls will remain strictly confidential. The survey taker will review this information at the beginning of their call. The Tobacco Control Coalitions of Tompkins and Cortland Counties are funded by a grant from the New York State Tobacco Control Program. The mission of the state Tobacco Control Program is to reduce morbidity and mortality and alleviate the social and economic burden caused by tobacco use in New York State. Recent coalition activities in Tompkins and Cortland Counties have focused on public awareness and understanding of the state's expanded clean indoor air law, working with schools to teach about the health risks of tobacco use, and promoting quit-smoking programs and options. For more information about the Tompkins County coalition or about the tobacco survey, call Ted Schiele at the Tompkins County Health Department at 274-6712, write tschiele@tompkins-co.org. Cortland County residents contact Jennifer Hamilton at the Cortland County Health Department at 758-5501 or jhamilton@cortland-co.org. The Tompkins County coalition maintains a web site at www.tompkins-co.org/wellness/smokefree/. ### For Immediate Release GET SMOKING BAN INFORMATION THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING A panel presentation about the new ban on smoking in all workplaces, including all bars and restaurants, is this Wednesday morning, July 9, 2003 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m., at the Women's Community Building, 100 W. Seneca St., downtown Ithaca. At the event, employers, workplace supervisors and others will learn about the new law and its requirements. The presentation is part of a state and county effort to help workplaces comply with the law. Staff from the Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) will go over all aspects of the expanded Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) and will be available to answer questions. Anyone is welcome to attend and no pre-registration is necessary. Co- sponsored by the TCHD and the Health Planning Council, the event is free and refreshments will be served. The Expanded Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) goes into effect on July 24, 2003. Under the CIAA, which was passed by the New York State legislature and signed by the governor in late March of this year, every workplace in the state will be smokefree. The intent of the law is to protect employees and the general public from secondhand tobacco smoke. The severe health hazards of secondhand smoke (SHS) have been well documented through years of research in both medical and environmental fields. New York is the third state to pass a comprehensive smokefree workplace act; California was first in 1998 and Delaware has been smokefree since November 2002. For more information, call the TCHD Health Promotion Program at 274-6710, or go to the Smokefree Tompkins web site, www.tompkins-co.org/wellness/smokefree/. ### For Immediate Release New Smokefree Workplace Law is the Topic at Upcoming Panel PresentationThe Expanded Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA), which bans smoking in all workplaces in New York State, will be the subject of a panel presentation to be held on Wednesday morning, July 9, 2003 from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m., at the Women's Community Building, 100 W. Seneca St., downtown Ithaca. The event offers an opportunity for employers, workplace supervisors and others to learn about the new law and its requirements, and is part of a state and county effort to help workplaces comply with the law. Staff from the Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) will present the latest information about the CIAA and be available to answer questions. The presentation is sponsored by the TCHD and the Health Planning Council. Anyone is welcome to attend and no pre-registration is necessary. The event is free and refreshments will be served. The Expanded Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) goes into effect on July 24, 2003. Under the CIAA, which was passed by the New York State legislature and signed by the governor in late March of this year, every workplace in the state will be smokefree. The intent of the law is to protect employees and the general public from secondhand tobacco smoke. The severe health hazards of secondhand smoke (SHS) have been well documented through years of research in both medical and environmental fields. New York is the third state to pass a comprehensive smokefree workplace act; California was first in 1998 and Delaware has been smokefree since November 2002. For more information, call the TCHD Health Promotion Program at 274-6710, or go to the Smokefree Tompkins web site, www.tompkins-co.org/wellness/smokefree/. ### Date: May 30, 2003 Local Web Site Seeks to Clarify New Clean Air Law ImplementationA local web site has been posted for citizens and business owners who want information about the new Smokefree Workplace Law which will go into effect across New York State beginning July 24, 2003. The address for the web site is: www.tompkins-co.org/wellness/smokefree/. The site, which is maintained by the Health Promotion Program at the Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD), will be updated regularly as new information becomes available. The Expanded Clean Indoor Air Act, also referred to as the Smokefree Workplace Law, was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor in late March of this year. The intent of the law, which bans smoking in virtually all workplaces and public places in the state, is to protect employees and the general public from secondhand tobacco smoke. The severe health hazards of secondhand smoke (SHS) have been well documented through years of research in both medical and environmental fields. New York is the third state to pass a comprehensive smokefree workplace act; California was first in 1998 and Delaware has been smokefree since November 2002. The local web site, titled “Smoke Free Tompkins County,” was established to give local residents a source of available information about the new law. Currently, the site includes an Overview and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, an non-official plain language copy of the law, press releases related to the issue, and a contact form. The site is part of a comprehensive informational campaign being waged by the TCHD’s Health Promotion Program and Environmental Health Division. Much of the information posted to the site has been provided by the New York State Tobacco Control Program. TCHD will continue to update the site as relevant information becomes available. An informational brochure is also available by calling the Health Promotion Program at 274-6710. ###
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Web master TC Health Department Health Promotion Program Tompkins County Home Page T-Free: Tobacco Free Tompkins is funded by a NYSDOH grant to the Tompkins County Health Department (Page updated 2/24/09) |