Florida Department of Health in Broward County commends City of North Lauderdale for new smoke-free workplace policy
Renee Podolsky, Community Health Director and Latonya Brown, Senior Health Educator representing the Florida Department of Health in Broward County, recently presented City of North Lauderdale’s Mayor Jack Brady with a plaque commending the City for their efforts to protect, promote and improve the health of all residents and visitors.
By Candy Sims
FORT LAUDERDAEL, FL — During the Jan. 14, 2014 City Commission meeting, the City of North Lauderdale’s elected officials, and Human Resources staff members accepted an award from the Florida Department of Health in Broward County for instituting a comprehensive smoke-free workplace policy prohibiting the use of any tobacco or tobacco-related product at any City owned property or in any vehicle at any time.
By prohibiting the use of tobacco and tobacco-related products, the City of North Lauderdale is protecting their employees, visitors, contractors, and vendors from the dangers caused by tobacco use.
“I commend the City of North Lauderdale for their efforts to protect the health of all their residents and visitors,” said Dr. Paula Thaqi, Health Officer at the Florida Department of Health in Broward County.
City facilities may provide designated smoking areas a minimum of 20-feet from all breezeways and entrances. The policy will be communicated to all employees, visitors, contractors, and vendors through signage, newsletters, emails, and/or policy manual. Any employees who seek to quit smoking will have access to resources and smoking cessation programs. Research shows that tobacco free grounds policies nearly double the chance that employees will quit. For those who do not quit, tobacco-free policies reduce the number of cigarettes smoked by employees during the week. More than 80 percent of Floridians do not smoke, and compliance rates for tobacco free grounds policies to be more than 96 percent
