Orange County NC Website
MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH <br />March 26, 2014 <br />S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda & Abstracts\2014 Agenda & Abstracts/March Page 2 <br /> <br />V. Educational Session <br /> <br />A. Smoke Free Public Places Update <br /> <br />Coby Austin presented recent successes related to the Smoke Free Public Places rule, <br />passage of one of the most comprehensive smoking bans in the nation. The Orange <br />County Smoke Free Public Places Rule prohibits smoking on all publicly owned or <br />maintained property including parks, bus stops, and sidewalks. The SFPP Update <br />(handout) described activities and some next steps related to communication, signage, <br />enforcement, cessation, and evaluation. During the presentation, Coby provided <br />information on public feedback gathered during Smoking Response Teams. <br /> <br />Coby reported a meeting has been schedule with the Chapel Hill Police Department to <br />discuss joint messaging. There has been good collaboration with police department, <br />including active participation on the Smoking Response Teams and sharing of <br />information on social media. <br /> <br />All five high schools in Orange County celebrated Kick Butts Day with activities in their <br />schools on March 19th. The Chapel Hill - Carrboro youth also did a cigarette butt pick- <br />up on Saturday, March 15 on Franklin St. and Main St., collecting 10,533 butts. <br /> <br />Coby is beginning to explore interest among owners and managers of multi-unit housing <br />in having smoke-free policies. Property managers are often able to reduce their <br />insurance costs by implementing such policies. This entails site-specific policy change <br />and would not require any action from the board. <br /> <br />The Health Department continues to promote and provide cessation services. It has <br />partnered with the Department of Social Services to integrate the Fresh start tobacco <br />cessation class into the Work First program, which is a 12-week program that happens <br />quarterly each year. Coby is also starting a conversation with local mental health and <br />substance abuse agencies to assess their current practices related to nicotine addiction <br />to see if there are opportunities to better integrate tobacco use screening, referral to <br />cessation services, integration into treatment plans, or smoke-free campus policies. <br /> <br />In an effort to evaluate the health effects of the rule, UNC is submitting a proposal to the <br />Robert Wood Johnson Foundation due April 15. They are asking the Board to endorse a <br />Letter of Support for their application. <br /> <br />The BOH members had several questions that were addressed by Dr. Bridger and Coby <br />Austin. <br /> <br />Motion was made by Liska Lackey for an authorized representative of the Board <br />of Health to sign a letter of support for this grant, seconded by Michael Wood and <br />carried without dissent <br /> <br />