Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition promotes smoke-free homes campaign
Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition (CHCC), a program of the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, is a member of the statewide Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine that is holding a Smoke-Free Homes campaign urging people to protect themselves and others from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
By visiting the Smoke-Free website and pledging to keep your home smoke-free, residents will receive a free EPA Smoke-Free Homes Pledge Thank You kit, complete with certificate, coasters, magnets, decals, and tips on how to stay smoke-free.
“Maine is a state known for its comprehensive laws protecting citizens from secondhand smoke exposure. Mainers are free to breathe clean air in almost all workplaces and public places, including restaurants and bars. "
"However, many are still at risk in the place they spend 70% of their time—the home,” stated Tina Pettingill, Chair and founder of the Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine. “The purpose of this program is to motivate citizens to take that first voluntary step towards change.”
“Secondhand smoke is especially dangerous to children, the elderly, and those with respiratory disorders. Children in homes where they are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk of developing ear infections, respiratory track infections, and are 44% more likely to suffer from asthma,” states Megan Rochelo, Director of the Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition.
Rochelo also states, “Pledging to keep smoke out of your home can significantly decrease these risks.” Allowing smoking in your home is harmful to your health, dangerous and expensive. That is why the Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition is encouraging everyone to pledge to keep their home smoke-free.
In addition to the EPA’s Smoke-Free Homes Pledge program, the Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine provides information to landlords and tenants on the benefits of adopting written smoke-free policies in multi-unit buildings. Recent Maine surveys have shown that nearly 78% of tenants want to live in a smoke-free home, while less than 40% of landlords have a written smoke-free policy.
“The Smoke-Free Homes Pledge program was a logical project to implement to further our mission that no Maine resident, regardless of their living situation, is involuntarily exposed to secondhand smoke,” said Amy Olfene, Project Coordinator for the Smoke-Free Housing Coalition of Maine. “By taking the pledge, tenants and others are empowering themselves to say, ‘no one in my home will be subjected to secondhand smoke.’”
Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition (CHCC) is a community-based health promotion coalition working to promote tobacco prevention/cessation, substance abuse prevention, physical activity and nutrition in both the community and schools. The coalition is a program of the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. CHCC is a Healthy Maine Partnership.