Houston Communities for Safe Indoor Air Rallied for the Right to Breathe Smoke-Free Indoor Air.

HOUSTON -- Houston Communities for Safe Indoor Air (HCSIA), a coalition of nine ethnically diverse community-based nonprofit organizations representing Hispanic, African American, Native American and Asian residents of Houston, held a community rally at City Hall on March 1 to educate Houstonians on the dangers of secondhand smoke carcinogens that kill 53,000 nonsmokers every year.

More than 90 people signed up as a smoke-free supporter at the rally held before the Houston City Council public hearing on the proposed smoking ordinance where another 30 people educated city council on the health benefits of a strong nonsmoking policy.

HCSIA has a prevailing purpose to educate regarding secondhand smoke health risks and to save lives in all communities, especially in communities of color where the smoking rate and severity of tobacco-caused diseases is higher among these groups due to the lack of access to health care and disproportionate exposure to secondhand smoke in the workplace. People of color are employed at high rates in food service and factory jobs where secondhand smoke is inescapable.

"Smoking is detrimental to health not only for smokers, but for anybody around smokers," proclaimed rally speaker Reverend Myron Cloyd, Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ pastor and vice-chair of the Houston Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Including Reverend Cloyd, Dr. Joel Dunnington, UTMD Anderson Cancer Center; Lorraine Wulfe, Smoke-Free Alliance spokesperson; Deloyd Parker, Jr., S.H.A.P.E. Community Center executive director; and Desiree Gonzales, HCSIA spokesperson and Hispanic Health Coalition member educated attendees regarding how a comprehensive safe indoor air policy can begin to reverse the lung damage caused by secondhand smoke to nonsmokers. Angel Tate of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's office also attended to show support.

Communities of color have been traditionally underserved by tobacco control initiatives due to a lack of funding for tobacco control advocacy in these areas. Nearly two-thirds of Houston's population is made up of Hispanic, African-American, Asian and other non-Caucasian ethnic groups. Rates of smoking among these groups are high in Houston and are further exacerbated because Houston lacks a strong tobacco control policy. Studies show that rates of smoking begin to decline after comprehensive smoking ordinances are in place, and the health of nonsmokers improves.

"A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that levels of secondhand smoke in restaurants are approximately 160 to 200 percent higher than in office places," said Desiree Gonzales, HCSIA spokesperson and certified health education specialist. "And levels in bars are 400 to 600 percent higher than in office workplaces. HCSIA believes everyone has a right to a safe, carcinogen-free work environment."

HCSIA is funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and healthcare.

About Houston Communities for Safe Indoor Air -- Formed in 2003, HCSIA is an ethnically diverse coalition of nine community-based nonprofit organizations. The organization's goals are to educate Houstonians about safe indoor air and secondhand smoke as a public health threat; to organize Houston communities to affect change through advocacy, community mobilization and public policy activism in order to create a safe indoor air ordinance; and to educate local elected officials about the threat that secondhand smoke poses to the public. For additional details or to get involved, call 713-651-1470 x139 or visit www.hcsia.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation -- Based in Princeton, N.J., the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. It concentrates its grant making in four goal areas: to assure that all Americans have access to quality health care at reasonable cost; to improve the quality of care and support for people with chronic health conditions; to promote healthy communities and lifestyles; and to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse -- tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.