Smoke-Free Illinois Act Tenth Anniversary- January 1, 2018

January marks the tenth anniversary of the Smoke- Free Illinois Act (SFIA). Ten years
ago, Illinois enacted one of the strongest clean indoor air law in the country. According to the Smoke-Free Illinois Act website, Illinois was the 13th state to have a comprehensive smoke-free law prohibiting smoking in public places and workplaces.

Over the past ten years, the DeKalb County Health Department has helped enforce the
SFIA by conducting random compliance checks to make sure smoking is not being allowed
inside public places as there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

The Health Department actively refers residents to the Illinois Tobacco Quitline. The
Quitline offers free, convenient, and confidential counseling throughout the quitting process by trained respiratory therapists, nurses, and certified tobacco-treatment counselors. The Quitline provides support to answer all tobacco related questions and the support to held break the habit. Eligible residents may also be able to take advantage of the Illinois Nicotine Replacement Therapy Distribution program and receive two weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches at no cost, to those who qualify.

“This is an excellent opportunity for those residents who wish to try nicotine
replacement products as a supplement to their efforts to quit smoking.” said Lisa Gonzalez, Public Health Administrator at the DeKalb County Health Department. “The American Heart
Association promotes nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as a safe and effective way to help people stop using cigarettes when used as part of a comprehensive smoking cessation
program.”

In November, the Health Department launched the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) campaign, Tips From Former Smokers, throughout DeKalb County. Campaign ads will run on various media outlets including Comcast Spotlight, movie theater
advertisements, bus advertisements, and also The Daily Chronicle’s website. The
advertisements will continue into March. As part of this campaign, community members will be reminded to call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline for help to quit smoking. For more information on quitting smoking, call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at 1-866-QUIT-YES/ 1-866-784-8937.

To learn more about the many programs and services of the Health Department, visit
health.dekalbcounty.org, or call (815)758-6673.