To the editor:
This month marks the 10th anniversary of a significant public health milestone for Salem. On April 1, 2001, Salem stepped up to become the first city in Massachusetts to restrict smoking in all restaurants and bars, leading the way for other tobacco-related public health initiatives in the new millennium.
It seems surreal that there once was a time when these establishments were smoke-filled. Such a ban was predicted to cause an apocalyptic demise to all of these businesses in the city. But, of course, it has done quite the opposite. Today, Salem is the restaurant destination of the North Shore, evidence that cities can choose to protect public health and promote economic development. Three years later, in June 2004, Massachusetts followed Salem's lead and passed a statewide ban.
Leading by example and driven by health concerns, the North Shore Medical Center banned smoking at its Salem Hospital campus in November 2008. Businesses including local establishments such as Osram Sylvania and General Electric will follow this year. This pattern is being repeated by other major employers in an effort to get workers to "kick the habit" for better health and keep down the costs of health insurance, more evidence that business can protect public health and promote economic development.
In September, Salem State University will become a tobacco-free campus, elevating it to a true flagship status as the first four-year, state school of higher education to pass such a bold policy. In accordance with the recommendations of the American College Health Association and the American Cancer Society in promoting tobacco-free environments, it provides the "new" university with an opportunity to dramatically impact the health and well-being of its own community while acknowledging its duty to prepare students to cope with the realities of similar restrictions in the workplace. It also affirms the university's obligation to comply with the American with Disabilities Act, which requires that persons with a respiratory disability have access to public and work places free of environmental pollutants that aggravate their condition. In a survey conducted by SSU, 25 percent of respondents reported having a respiratory condition that may be exacerbated by exposure to secondhand smoke. Given that the school has had a year to implement the policy, there has been no impact on applications for the fall enrollment, more evidence that the higher education business can choose to protect public health and still promote their economic development.
Last month, the current Board of Health endorsed State House Bill 1243, which proposes that 20 percent of public housing units be allocated smoke-free.
Although this may be but a small step in protecting nonsmokers from exposure to secondhand smoke, it is a great leap in recognizing that smoking is the No. 1 cause of home fires, affecting not only the smoker, but also others living with or next to them.
Based on these examples, it is unlikely that this will cause any decline in applications for public housing, again providing more evidence that communities can choose to protect public health and still promote economic development.
Tobacco is indisputably the single greatest cause of preventable death in the United States and worldwide; the harmful effects of smoking and secondhand smoke are well-understood.
All of these policies support the goal of achieving a smoke-free generation. It is possible that smoking and smoking-related diseases and deaths will one day be a rarity, a triumph that can be accomplished by protecting and promoting public health and subsequently, resulting in economic development.
I salute the courage and extraordinary achievement of the seven volunteer members of the Salem Board of Health 2000 who championed this important public health milestone: Chairperson Leonard Milaszewski, Martin Fair, Christina Harrington, Dr. Irving Ingraham, Dr. Mike Kantorosinski, Mary Leary and Dr. Marion Winfrey.
I am truly inspired by their leadership.
Dr. Barbara Poremba
Chairperson, Salem Board of Health
Professor of Public Health Nursing
Salem State University
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