In his continuing quest to make the Bronx the opposite of the least healthy county in the state, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced the formation of the Bronx Smoke-Free Partnership last week, as part of the 2010 Bronx Week festivities.
"To the tobacco industry, we don't want you here. Your gimmicks and your games are up," Diaz Jr. said at Borough Hall on Friday. Hopefully, Diaz Jr. will attack tobacco companies with the same gusto and verve with which his father, Ruben Diaz Sr., helped destroy the gay-marriage bill!
According to recent city health statistics, 17% of Bronx residents smoke, compared with the citywide average of 15.8%; according to the city's Department of Health and mental Hygiene, smoking is linked to one in seen deaths, making it the No. 1 preventable cause of death. The Partnership brings together several local anti-smoking and anti-cancer groups with the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association. With a grant from the New York State Tobacco Control Program, the Partnership plans to rally against the tobacco industry's marketing to children, increase outdoor smoke-free spaces and push for more 100% smoke-free residences, modeled after the city-wide smoke free campaign.
