Passaic County IMAC

Summary

Smokefree local ordinances in New Jersey have begun to proliferate in public outdoor spaces as leaders and constituents recognize the connection between healthy, clean, family-friendly and smokefree recreational areas. Given the toxicity of secondhand smoke, minimizing exposure for children and non-smoking adults (85% in NJ) has become a goal for some progressive, municipal leaders.

As you’re reading about smokefree parks, click on any of the pictures to the right to get a first-hand look at our experience advocating for smokefree parks, along with the beautiful artwork children in the community made to support going smokefree.

Challenge

Some adults look at smoking as a right and disagree with laws that curtail that right. Leadership needs to ensure that their populations understand that smoking is not a right since they are infringing on the right of other non-smokers around them to breathe clean air. Enforcement will be achieved as more healthful, outdoor environments become the norm, and smoking becomes unacceptable where children and adults play. Communities need to work on behalf of children to ensure they stay away from tobacco products as they enter the high-risk teen years for becoming life-long, addicted tobacco users.

Solution

Paterson, the 3rd largest city in NJ, expressed an interest in the first quarter of 2012 in a smokefree parks ordinance.  GASP helped facilitate the formation of an IMAC (Integrated Municipal Advisory Council) consisting of members from Paterson citizen groups, GASP and tobacco control colleagues, the local health department, the Department of Public Safety, Department of public works, and City Council members.  GASP provided technical assistance and facilitated meetings that resulted in the coalition making an educational presentation to the City Council at a work session meeting. The City Council voted unanimously to introduce a 100% smokefree parks ordinance at the meeting.  At the next City Council meeting, the ordinance was introduced, and GASP was instrumental in planning with other IMAC members to generate community support.

GASP helped organize City Council President Davis’s pizza party and awards/certificate ceremony for the children who participated in the Kick Butts Day poster contest and the park butt cleanup. The parents were overjoyed to see their children honored by civic leaders in their community. We have two photos of the students with their awards. Warning: contents may be adorable.

The pizza party was held in conjunction with the first reading to garner support for the proposed ordinance, so that children could participate in the civic process of an ordinance hearing.  GASP organized the IMAC coalition members to show support for the ordinance, which passed unanimously at the next City Council meeting.  GASP worked with Paterson to implement the new ordinance by helping with publicity and signage, including in-kind translations of promotional materials by IMAC members to Spanish and Arabic, to meet Paterson’s demographic needs.  Smokefree signs, now posted in parks throughout Paterson, were provided by the NJ Department of Health at no cost to the city. The City of Paterson held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the new policy, and IMAC members were there to celebrate the achievement. Read a September 30, 2012 news story about Paterson smokefree parks.

NJDOH Commissioner Mary O’Dowd’s March 2013 newsletter, NJ Health Matters, highlights local and county smokefree parks activity. The article, “Smokefree Air Ordinances Proliferating”, features a photo of Paterson City Council President Anthony E. Davis with Paterson coalition member Lakeshia Evans and her daughter Scotland, celebrating the smokefree parks ribbon-cutting ceremony at at Paterson’s 100% smokefree Eastside Park.

Next up, Passaic. By leveraging the relationship between City Council President Davis of Paterson and his neighbor Councilman Love in Passaic, GASP helped to form a Passaic IMAC to replicate the Paterson model. An ordinance was introduced and passed unanimously on July 17, 2012. Coordinated efforts were made within the Passaic IMAC for the presentation and to gather community support for the smokefree ordinance. Efforts included letters of support and attendance by resident supporters at City Council meetings. IMAC members reached out again to the students and their families to attend, and Passaic Mayor Dr. Blanco awarded the students with certificates for their posters from “Kick Butts Day”. The IMAC coordinated with the Passaic Health Department to have the students’ posters be hung in City Hall Council Chambers. Just as GASP did for Paterson, we worked with Passaic to implement the new ordinance by helping with publicity, and signage, including in-kind translations of promotional materials by IMAC members to Spanish to meet Passaic’s demographic needs. Smokefree signs, to be posted in all parks, were provided by the NJ Department of Health at no cost to the city. Read an article from NorthJersey.com about the passage of the ordinance and a July 20 editorial from the same source.

Your Involvement is Key

GASP has been instrumental in the proliferation of these outdoor smokefree environments by educating and collaborating with community leaders who have expressed an interest in smokefree outdoor policies. We have provided technical assistance on appropriate legal language for enforceable ordinances, provided ideas for community support, and made GASP resources available for educational purposes at community meetings. Partnering with the communities has created successes in Paterson and Passaic, along with other cities in Passaic County.

Results

The two largest cities in Passaic County have passed 100% smokefree outdoor playground and recreational park ordinances, resulting in cleaner air and reduced tobacco-waste. These public health policies extend smokefree indoor air laws to outdoor recreational areas, giving a consistent message to children that nonsmoking is the norm, which hopefully will deter our youth from starting to smoke.

In addition, the new ordinances protect residents and visitors who rely on these outdoor areas for leisure activities against the noxious smell of secondhand smoke, especially for persons with chronic diseases or are breathing disabled and only have brief periods of outdoor enjoyment.

Reduced tobacco-waste translates into maintenance cost-savings for the cities free of smoking-related trash.  The signage encourages self-enforcement of the policy, and reminds children that smoking is not an accepted norm in outdoor, recreational environments.  Of the 15% adult population in New Jersey who smoke, 70% want to quit and appreciate smokefree environments that encourage them to quit.

Future Directions

Other communities in Passaic County learned about the success stories in Paterson and Passaic with smokefree parks, and jumped on the bandwagon. GASP provided technical assistance to these communities, too.  In September 2012 Wayne passed a 100% smokefree parks ordinance. Then in November 2012 Passaic County Freeholders joined the initiative and voted unanimously to make all county park and recreational areas 100% smokefree. To date, Passaic County has a higher percentage of smokefree park ordinances than any other county in New Jersey.

We continue to share our experience with other municipalities to create more success stories in Northern New Jersey communities and throughout the state.  We have seen Bergen County municipalities following the trend with Cliffside Park, Closter and Waldwick passing smokefree Parks and Recreational area ordinances in the 4th quarter of 2012.The smokefree parks momentum continues in 2013, with new laws in Bergen County’s Garfield and Palisades Park, and Hudson County’s Kearny, North Bergen, Secaucus and Hudson County’s parks and recreational areas.

By leveraging new and existing relationships and in-kind services from coalition partners, 100% smokefree park and recreational areas are achievable. Collaboration between GASP and community leadership can result in strong, 100% outdoor smokefree ordinances that positively impact the public health of millions of residents and visitors in New Jersey. We are striving to be the first state in the nation to have all municipal, county and state park and recreational areas 100% smokefree.