Join the Movement for “Smoke-Free Week in New Orleans” July 21-25,…

Councilmember LaToya Cantrell and the Healthier Air for All Campaign invite New Orleans to enjoy a week full of smoke-free events and venues

New Orleans, La. - July 14, 2014 - The Office of Councilmember LaToya Cantrell and the Healthier Air for All Campaign (HAFA), an initiative of the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL), are working together to promote the benefits of smoke-free environments by sponsoring Smoke-Free Week, July 21-25, 2014, in New Orleans.

Smoke-Free Week is a health initiative designed to raise awareness on the risks that secondhand smoke exposure poses, particularly to New Orleans bar employees, patrons,and musicians’. Service industry and gaming facility employees, along with musicians, breathe more secondhand smoke while at work than any other type of employee, and can suffer from many of the same illnesses as smokers.

Smoke-Free Week will kick-off on July 21st from 6-8 p.m. at The Rusty Nail bar, a smoke-free bar located in the Central Business District. Community members are encouraged to join Councilwoman Cantrell and HAFA, as well as the 610 Stompers, for entertainment and healthier air all night long.

“I have made a solemn pledge to Join in this Movement,” said Councilwoman Cantrell, who also serves as chair of the New Orleans City Council Community Development Committee. “The quality of life for our citizens is of the utmost priority, and this is just the first step towards improving that. Knowing the health disparities that exist in our community and understanding the causes and effects of secondhand smoke, I am in full support of this initiative and I hope to see the community members join me in this effort."

Another local institution, The Maple Leaf bar, has begun transitioning into a smoke-free venue. Currently hosting smoke-free nights every Wednesday as well as intermittent smoke-free shows, the bar’s owner is looking forward to becoming 100 percent smoke-free by this fall. The Maple Leaf will also go smoke-free during the entirety of Smoke-Free Week, culminating in the closing event Friday, July 25. Doors open at 3 p.m., and there will be giveaways and free music by the Pinettes Brass Band and Boukou Groove later in the evening.

During Smoke-Free Week, local bars are being encouraged to join the more than 100 establishments that have voluntarily gone smoke-free. Bars were invited to participate in one of the following ways, and many have expressed interest or signed up to host happy hours:

hosting a smoke-free happy hour
hosting a smoke-free night
going smoke-free for the whole week
attending a Town Hall discussion regarding a 100% smoke-free New Orleans

“TFL is thrilled to have worked with Councilwoman Cantrell’s office on providing New Orleans citizens, business owners, bar patrons, bar employees and our musicians the opportunity to showcase their support of smoke-free environments,” said Tonia Moore, Associate Director of TFL. “We are committed to protecting and preserving Louisiana’s unique culture through healthier environments for all.”

If you would like to “Join the Movement” for cleaner, healthier, smoke-free air in New Orleans and participate in Smoke-Free Bar Week, or if you would like to attend the Town Hall Discussion at Carrollton Station, please contact Anna Nguyen at (504) 658-1022 or annguyen@nola.gov.

For a full listing of smoke-free venues and events in New Orleans, or around Louisiana, visit www.healthierairforall.org.

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The Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC)

The Louisiana Cancer Research Center of New Orleans provides a structure in which Tulane University Health Sciences Center and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - the state's two leading medical research institutions - will work together and coordinate cancer research development in preparation for recognition as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) - Designated Cancer Center. The consortium is funded through five cents of the tobacco excise tax, three cents to fund infrastructure and cancer research program development for the new Consortium and two cents for tobacco control and prevention programs. Conservative estimates indicate that approximately $10 million per year will be generated from this revenue source. For more information, visit www.lcrc.info.

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Tobacco Control Program (LTCP) coordinate their efforts in tobacco prevention and control by providing statewide coordination of existing tobacco control initiatives, funding innovative community programs for tobacco control, offering services for people who are ready to quit and developing statewide media campaigns to help reduce the excessive burden of tobacco use on the state’s resources and improve the overall health and quality of life in Louisiana. For more information visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org. To find out more about the dangers of secondhand smoke and show your support for a 100-percent smoke-free Louisiana, visit www.healthierairforall.org. To learn more about quitting tobacco, visit www.quitwithusla.org.

About the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI)

Founded in 1997, The Louisiana Public Health Institute’s mission is to promote and improve the health and quality of life in Louisiana through public-private partnering at the community, parish and state levels. By fostering collaborative endeavors in the areas of health information, public policy, applied research, and community capacity enhancement, LPHI works to develop community-oriented solutions that improve the health of the Louisiana population. For more information, visit www.lphi.org.

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