Rapides Parish Municipalities Unite for Smoke-free Environments
Feb. 13, 2019
Pineville, La. – February 13, 2019 – Last night Pineville City Council voted in favor of protecting the health of Pineville residents and employees by making all indoor public facilities, including bars and gaming establishments, smoke-free. The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) and members of the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Louisiana (CTFLA) applaud the members of the Pineville City Council for their vote.
The smoke-free measure, voted on and passed by the Pineville City Council on February 12, will ensure all residents and employees (including bartenders, gaming establishment employees and entertainers) will be protected from the dangerous health effects of secondhand smoke in workplaces, restaurants, banks, healthcare facilities, hotel/motel lobbies, stores, laundromats, reception areas/waiting rooms, and educational facilities. When the ordinance goes into effect by March 1, Pineville will become the seventh municipality in Rapides Parish to go smoke-free and 20th in the state of Louisiana.
“Pineville is a great example of communities planning ahead and taking the appropriate actions to protect the health of their citizens and workers,” said Jennifer Gilchrist, TFL Regional Manager. “Everyone deserves to breathe healthy air while at work.”
When the ordinance goes into effect it will apply to bars and restaurants serving alcohol that are expected to open as result of the 2018 vote that allowed alcohol sales to take place in Pineville.
For more information on the growing movement to protect all Louisiana employees from secondhand smoke, visit www.HealthierAirForAll.org.
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) engages in local and statewide tobacco control policy efforts that focus on tobacco prevention and initiation among youth, eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, promote cessation services, and identify and eliminate tobacco-related disparities. TFL is guided by best practices in tobacco control, and envisions a healthier Louisiana by reducing the excessive burden of tobacco use on all Louisianans. For more information visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org. To find out more about the dangers of secondhand smoke and show your support for a smoke-free Louisiana, visit www.healthierairforall.org. To learn more about quitting tobacco, visit www.quitwithusla.org.
About the Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC)
Founded by the Louisiana State Legislature in 2002, the LCRC is a public-private partnership designed to promote education about cancer and conduct important research on the diagnosis, detection, treatment, and prevention of cancer in Louisiana. The LCRC partners with the public at large and four major cancer research institutions in Louisiana: LSU Health, Tulane University, Ochsner Health System, and Xavier University. More information about the LCRC is available at www.louisianacancercenter.org.
About the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI)
LPHI, founded in 1997, is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit and public health institute that translates evidence into strategy to optimize health ecosystems. Our work focuses on uncovering complementary connections across sectors to combine the social, economic, and human capital needed to align action for health. We champion health for people, within systems, and throughout communities because we envision a world where everyone has the opportunity to be healthy. For more information, visit www.lphi.org.
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