142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Smokefree Housing Initiative in Broward County, Florida – A story of success

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 5:10 PM - 5:18 PM

Teina M. Phillips, MPA , TOUCH Initiative, Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc., Hollywood, FL
Michael De Lucca, MHM , Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc., Hollywood, FL
Lindsay Corrales, MPH , TOUCH Initiative, Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc., Hollywood, FL
Nicole Cook, PhD, MPA , Master of Public Health Program, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
T. Lucas Hollar, PhD , Master of Public Health Program, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
David Quinn, BS, MPH , Master of Public Health Program College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale-Davie, FL
Andrew Cuddihy, MPH , South Florida, American Lung Association in Florida, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Matthew Competiello , South Florida, American Lung Association in Florida, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Kamalie Belizaire , South Florida, American Lung Association in Florida, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Although nearly 80% of adults in the US report that they do not allow smoking in their homes,  residents of multi-unit housing can be exposed to secondhand smoke from shared air ducts, cracks in  walls and floors,  elevator shafts, and from  plumbing and electrical lines.. This short film showcases how community partners in South Florida were successful in removing indoor second-hand smoke exposure among 2,500 senior residents through development and implementation of a  comprehensive smoke-free housing policy, and demonstrates the numerous benefits of adopting smoke-free housing policies for property owners/managers, staff and residents.

TOUCH (Transforming Our Community’s Health), a CDC CTG awardee, is charged with implementing smoke-free multi-unit housing across Broward County. TOUCH and its community partner, the American Lung Association, held two smoke-free multi-unit housing seminars which were aimed to educate landlords, owners and managers of multi-unit housing on the benefits of implementing smoke-free policies. At one of these seminars, TOUCH began a relationship Catholic Housing Services (CHS) which provides housing for over 2,500 low-income elderly residents in South Florida. CHS expressed interest in moving forward with a smoke-free policy at their 15 locations and partnered with TOUCH to conduct a survey among its residents. The survey, conducted by TOUCH’s evaluation partner, Nova Southeastern University Master of Public Health program, revealed that more than 80% of residents were non-smokers, 30% were exposed to second-hand smoke and more than 70% support  smoke-free housing policies in their building.

On October 1, 2013, CHS implemented the smoke-free policy at all 15 of its housing locations. This video describes the reasons CHS implemented the policy and highlights stories from residents and managers who went through the process of adopting an implementing the new policy. The video was designed to be used as a tool to help guide other properties considering implementing similar policies.

Learning Areas:

Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Define the benefits of smoke-free multi-unit housing for landlords, property owners, and tenants. Describe strategies to promote smoke-free multi-unit housing. Identify potential community partners to support smoke-free housing initiatives.

Keyword(s): Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and, Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or ot

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As Program Director for the TOUCH (Transforming Our Community's Health) Initiative in Broward County, Florida, a Community Transformation Grant (CTG) awardee, I provide leadership and direction to over 25 sub-awardees working in 13 different sub-strategies to improve the health and well-being of Broward County residents. I have been deeply involved with the development, implementation, and evaluation of TOUCH’s Smokefree Multi-unit Housing initiative from its inception.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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