Mayor Taveras, City and State Leaders Celebrate Successes of Tobacco-Free Providence Campaign

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras joined today with Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements, other leaders from the City of Providence, Rhode Island Department of Health Director Michael Fine, MD, Meeting Street School President and CEO John Kelly, Jeleny De Leon of Young Voices, and other youth and community members to celebrate the successes of the two-year-old Tobacco-Free Providence campaign.

"Providence is a leader in a larger national movement to create healthier communities thanks to the work of this campaign," said Mayor Angel Taveras. "We must continue our efforts to ensure that children in our capital city can grow and thrive in an environment that is safe, healthy and free from the harmful effects of tobacco."

Tobacco-Free Providence is an initiative to make Providence a healthier community free from tobacco use. By educating and engaging community members, the campaign has successfully helped to make environmental changes aimed at reducing youth access to tobacco, strengthened tobacco-free living and learning environments, and supported tobacco users who want to quit.

The campaign is part of Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) - a grant funded partnership between the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Mayor's Substance Abuse Prevention Council. The program was made possible through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) under the leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In January, the City Council passed and Mayor Taveras signed and enacted laws in Providence to prevent the sale of non-cigarette fruit- and candy-flavored tobacco products and ban pricing and promotional strategies aimed at lowering the cost of tobacco products, such as buy-one-get-one-free.

"It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our children can grow up in a city that is healthy and safe," said City Council President Michael Solomon. "As elected officials, we have taken proactive steps to protect our youth from initiating the dangerous, addictive habit of tobacco use."

"By working together and making environmental changes, we can help to prevent serious health problems, like heart disease, stroke and cancer," said City Council Majority Leader Seth Yurdin. "The changes that we've made here in Providence have inspired other cities and communities across the nation to take action in the tobacco-free movement."

Tobacco use is a major public health threat to youth. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, an estimated 23,000 children currently under age 18 and living in Rhode Island could die prematurely from a smoking-related illness, and an estimated 1,300 Rhode Islandchildren under age 18 will become new daily smokers each year.

By effectively addressing tobacco use through environmental change, cities can make a significant impact on preventing serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke and cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The Rhode Island Department of Health is focused on preventing youth from initiating tobacco use, and we need to ensure we are all committed to this goal," said Dr. Michael Fine, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. "We still have children across the state buying or smoking more than two million packs of cigarettes each year - that number is simply unacceptable."

During the course of the Tobacco Free Providence campaign, several community organizations, including the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy (CHisPA), John Hope Settlement House, Providence Community Health Centers, Providence Housing Authority, Urban League of Rhode Island and Young Voices educated community members about the dangers of tobacco use and built strong neighborhood coalitions in support of a safer, tobacco-free city.

"By the time Providence students reach our senior year of high school, nearly one in four of us - 23 percent - smokes cigarettes. I see my peers living and proving this statistic, and I find it devastating," said Jeleny De Leone of Young Voices.

The Tobacco-Free Providence campaign has been working to ensure Providence residents and businesses are well-informed of the initiative and new regulations. Thecampaign reached out to every tobacco vendor in the city and held education sessions with six neighborhood business associations to listen to the needs of businesses and offer support.

"I've been so impressed by the work of Mayor Taveras, his Substance Abuse Prevention Council, the City Council, the Department of Health, and the entire Tobacco-Free Providence campaign, for their efforts to keep tobacco out of the hands of our children," said John Kelly, president and CEO of the Meeting Street School. "Protecting our children is a job that all of us take on - as educators, parents, mentors and neighbors. And part of this job includes keeping tobacco out of the hands of our children."

Mayor's Substance Abuse Prevention Council
The Mayor's Substance Abuse Prevention Council (MSAPC) aims to protect youth and prevent harmful alcohol and drug use by implementing evidence-based programs, building awareness, providing effective education, supporting comprehensive environmental strategies and promoting the health and wellness of communities. For more information, visit www.msapc.org.

Tobacco-Free Providence Campaign
The Tobacco-Free Providence Campaign is working to build a healthier, safer and stronger community that is free from the harmful effects of tobacco. The Campaign is bringing community members together to make it harder for underage kids to buy tobacco; prevent kids from buying single cigarettes, or loosies; limit sales practices that make it easier and cheaper to buy tobacco; create tobacco-free schools and public housing; and provide free nicotine replacement and classes for adults that want to quit tobacco. Tobacco-Free Providence is supported by The Providence Mayor's Substance Abuse Prevention Council in partnership with the R.I. Department of Health, and made possible by funding from the Department of Health and Human Services. For more information, visit www.tobaccofreeprovidence.org.

Rhode Island Department of Health
The Department of Health (HEALTH) strives to prevent disease and to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of Rhode Island. It is a diverse and interactive state agency with broad-ranging public health responsibilities that are aimed at ensuring all Rhode Islanders receive quality healthcare and live in a safe and healthy environment. As the state's sole health department, HEALTH relies on its partnership with community and professional groups throughout the state to achieve its vision and bring critical public health programming into Rhode Island neighborhoods. For more information, visit www.health.ri.gov.