Great to see you!

It's been fabulous to see all of the smiling Southwest Grantee faces here in Newport News!

I hope the conference event has been a valuable learning and networking opportunity for you.

Come back to the blog soon for our group photo! :)

Smoke free restaurants online!

Hey folks - sorry for the previous error with this hyperlink...let's try it again!


Here's a great new resource for locating smoke free restaurants in your area (or anywhere in Virginia for that matter). Here is the link to the website that you can search by county:

www.healthspace.ca/vdh








RICHMOND, Va. - The Virginia Department of Health is adding the smoking status of Virginia restaurants to its Website on restaurant health inspections.



The popular state Web site averages more than 90,000 visits a month. It displays health inspection information gathered from more than 60,000 unannounced restaurant inspections a year throughout Virginia.



State Health Commissioner Karen Remley says this information can help diners decide where to eat. The new information for each restaurant will now include whether smoking is permitted or banned. Smoke-free facilities are identified with a nonsmoking icon.

Survey says....

The 2007 Virginia Youth Tobacco Survey (YTS) results are in and the word is out - Big Declines in Youth Smoking!

VTSF had the honor of hosting a press conference last Tuesday where Governor Tim Kaine announced that youth smoking rates in Virginia have hit the lowest point this decade. According to the YTS results, Virginia is almost 5 percent below the national average for high school smoking!

You can read the entire press release and more about the survey in general here:

http://www.vtsf.org/data/youth-tobacco-survey.asp

What phenomenal news and what a great way to share it! The press conference alone reached over 668,000 Virginians and even more have read about our amazing outcomes through The Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Richmond Times, and The Roanoke Times among other print reports.

Enjoy this moment of celebrity, folks because you have all played a part in this incredible achievement. Local programs are a key component to the youth smoking declines we have seen in Virginia over the last six years. Andrew Carnegie once said that teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. I could not agree more.

ALA calls on VCU to break ties with Big Tobacco

Click over to this article in Style Weekly highlighting how the National and Virginia chapters of the American Lung Association are calling on VCU and all Virginia colleges to "refuse all research and sponsorship funding from the tobacco industry.”

http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=17653

Join the race...

Mark your calendar for a very exciting
conference you don’t want to miss!

Virginia’s First Comprehensive
Statewide Cancer Conference
“JOINING THE RACE TO CONQUER CANCER”

Registration and agenda are available at www.cmevillage.com

(look under educational opportunities tab, live conferences, by date)

When & Where:
Thursday and Friday, November 20-21, 2008
Doubletree Hotel,
990 Hilton Heights Road, Charlottesville, Virginia, 22901

Call (434) 973-2121 by October 29 for CPAC Room Reservations
Registration Fees:
Registrations prior to September 30th: $50
Registrations after September 30th: $75
Credits: 1.2 CEUs

Who should attend?
This conference is for healthcare professionals, community leaders, public health
professionals, policy makers and the general public.

■ Come listen to keynote speaker Steven Patierno,

Executive Director of The GW Cancer Institute
■ Attend sessions with national speakers
■ Learn about the Virginia Cancer Plan 2008-2012
■ Get practical information about cancer
■ Networking opportunities
For more information contact:
Lucie Ferguson: lucie_ferguson@bshsi.org
Nila Saliba: ns7e@virginia.edu
Rachel Schmidt: rachel.schmidt@comcast.net