Clean Indoor Air Act main focus for JCHD

By CARA WILLIAMS, cwilliams@newsandsentinel.com


RIPLEY — Defense of the county’s Clean Indoor Air Act was the main focus for the Jackson County Health Department in 2007.

According to Susan Hosaflook, health department administrator, the successful defense of the ban “consumed” the health department for much of the year and eventually turned into its biggest accomplishment.

“It’s about public health, plain and simple,” she said.

The controversy involved David and Cathy Judge, owners of M & R Restaurant, who refused to comply with the ban and continued to allow smoking in their establishment even after being cited multiple times.

Throughout the process, the Judge’s maintained that it should be their decision on whether or not to allow their patrons to smoke in their restaurant.

However, Judge Thomas C. Evans III, disagreed and handed down an injunction ordering the Judge’s to comply with the ban following a December 2007 hearing.

Hosaflook said the push for a ban came following a report from the Surgeon General concerning the effect of secondhand smoke.

“Our board of health reviewed the county’s regulations and thought it was in the best interest of public health to implement the 100 percent smoke free in the workplace,” Hosaflook said.

The ban, which prohibits smoking within 20 feet of an entrance to a public building, went into effect Oct. 1, 2006 and has since been ratified and readopted by the board.

As the health department prepares for 2008, it may once again have to defend the ban as it is set to be expanded to include bars beginning July 1.

“Once again, implementation of the ban will be handled on a complaint basis,” she said. “We just don’t have the manpower to continually police it.”

One way the health department plans to help enforce the rule is by implementing an early informational campaign as well as offering smoking cessation classes, which were set to begin in January 2008.

“We’ve made this rule so now we want to help the people who need it most,” she said.

The classes will be led by Amy Haskins, who was hired near the end of 2007 as the public health educator for the health department.

“We are attempting to make Jackson County a healthier community and that is her (Haskins’) expertise,” Hosaflook said. “There are so many different aspects of public health and she will promote what we do everyday.”

Haskins has more than seven years experience in health promotion and education along with a Masters of Arts Degree in Health Promotion Wellness Management from Ball State University. She said her main focus will be educating the public about health issues such as the dangers of smoking.

“I am here for the community as a resource and I enjoy helping people learn about the available resources that can help them better their families,” Haskins said.

Other highlights from 2007 for the health department include the successful collaboration with Jackson General Hospital and River Valley Health and Wellness Center for the Women’s Fall Into Good Health Fair, held in October.

The fair saw more than 100 participants and “showed three different entities working together for the health of our community,” Hosaflook said.

In addition, she said four cases of breast cancer were diagnosed through the West Virginia Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program.

“While that may not sound like a lot, that’s four cases that otherwise would have not been diagnosed,” she said. “And that’s the goal of public health, promoting a healthier community and healthier lifestyles.”