Organizations concerned with reducing the high rate of smoking in the City of Fall River met on October 23, 2007, at the office of Seven Hills - P.Y.C.O. on Pleasant Street to continue a planning process to reduce the future use of tobacco products. Committee members prioritized sixteen indicators that have been accepted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as markers for progress in reducing tobacco use. Indicators included instruction for elementary and middle school children on tobacco use prevention, compliance checks to ensure that retailers prohibit tobacco sales to minors, school policies prohibiting the use of tobacco by students and staff, and programs to assist pregnant women in quitting. The planning process, which was facilitated by the Southeast Center for Healthy Communities as arranged by Partners for Clean Air - Seven Hills, will result in a written application for funding by DPH in the spring of 2008 that will enable strategies to be implemented in Fall River in the coming years. To see photos of the Fall River Tobacco Control program, click here. To see photos of the tobacco restriction signage at Fall River schools, click here. To see photos of an adolescent tobacco education program, click here. For more information about the project, contact Susan Dickens at Partners for Clean Air, 508-995-3026, X231. For information about the Fall River Tobacco Control program, contact Marilyn Edge, Tobacco Control Coordinator at 508-324-2423.

(Top row, left) Judith Coykendall, Coordinator of Partners for Clean Air, describes the process to the planning team members. (Top row, center) Team members included Filomena Pimentel and Maggie Vere of Seven Hills Behavioral Health, Paula Harrison of HeathFirst Family Care Center, Jenny Diblasi of United Neighbors, Susan Sterrett of the Fall River Schools, Marilyn Edge of the Fall River Tobacco Control program, Mike Aguiar of Project Alert at SSTAR, Dan Mahoney of Project Assert at St. Anne's Hospital, and Kelly Nevins, Manager of Community Relations for BMC HealthNet. (Top row, right) Paula Harrison and Jenny Diblasi listen as Susan Sterrett makes a point about the value of starting tobacco education in elementary school before students begin experimenting with smoking. (Middle row, left) Susan Dickens of Partners for Clean Air works with a small group to identify some of the higher priority criteria. (Middle row, right) Katy Dutille Dos Santos of the Southeast Center for Healthy Communities goes over some of the criteria with Judith Coykendall. (Bottom row, left) Judith and Jenny listen as Healthy City Fall River Coordinator Dave Weed talks about some of the local pharmacies that have voluntarily given up tobacco sales altogether. (Bottom row, center) Katy places the priority items the group has selected in order on the wall as Jenny and Susan watch. (Bottom row, right) Fall River Youth Services Coordinator Christian McCloskey and Project Alert Coordinator Mike Aguiar give their input to Paula Harrison during their break-out session.