RESOLUTION

The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund Board of Directors

"Commending the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services' 'Tobacco-Free Workplace' Program"

February 13, 2004

Whereas the Oklahoma State Board of Health has declared tobacco use as Oklahoma¿s number one health problem; and

Whereas the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, Oklahoma State Medical Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and numerous other organizations have joined together to address Oklahoma¿s devastating tobacco use problem; and

Whereas Oklahoma¿s success in addressing its devastating tobacco use problem is dependent upon effective policy and programs, including the reduction or elimination of tobacco in the workplace, to protect Oklahomans of all ages and populations from exposure to secondhand smoke; and

Whereas the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) has implemented a policy declaring all ODMHSAS facilities and surrounding grounds to be ¿tobacco-free environments¿ as a means to protect the health and well-being of its clients and employees, in keeping with its mission statement, ¿To promote healthy communities and provide the highest quality care to enhance the well-being of all Oklahomans;¿ and

Whereas the absence of tobacco and smoke increases the effectiveness of treatment and services for all ODMHSAS clients; and

Whereas many Oklahomans are not yet protected by smoke-free policies on the job; and

Whereas smoke-free policies increase quit attempts and decrease consumption among smokers, particularly for the majority who want to quit smoking; and

Whereas the ODMHSAS is joining other health-related state agencies, such as the Oklahoma State Department of Health, which initiated the smoke-free campus idea in 2002 and paved the way for other state agencies to follow suit in promoting true health on the job via the establishment of effective tobacco use prevention and cessation policies;

Be it now resolved that the Board of Directors of the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust commends the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for its adoption of a tobacco-free environment, in and around its treatment facilities and office buildings, to prevent client and employee exposure the deadly effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke.

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