Health Department Promotes Smoke-Free Dining Members of the Watauga High Against Tobacco (WHAT) Club present a certificate of appreciation to Mr. Jack Pepper, owner of Pepper’s Restaurant. Pepper’s was the first restaurant in the county to go smokefree, in 1992. Shown from left to right are: First Row - Ashley Jordan, Jamie Hopkins, WHAT Club members. Second Row - Matt Presnell, President, WHAT Club; Mary Margaret Holden, Samantha Perkins, WHAT Club members; Jack Pepper, recipient of the certificate; Teri VanDyke, Coordinator of Northwest Tobacco Prevention Coalition; and Dana Holden, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for Watauga County Schools. The Appalachian District Health Department and the Northwest Tobacco Prevention Coalition have unveiled a new program designed to make dining out healthier for local residents and visitors. The Smoke-Free Dining Campaign is part of a statewide effort to promote healthy restaurants by informing would-be patrons of the smoking status of restaurants before they walk in and risk exposure to secondhand smoke. “We have known for some time that secondhand smoke causes cancer and is a trigger for asthma. The recent CDC warning on secondhand smoke and its impact on heart disease prompted this program,” said Danny Staley, Health Director. “For someone with heart disease, even a brief exposure to tobacco smoke can trigger a heart attack. As the local health department, it’s our duty to let those with heart disease, asthma, or emphysema know that they are entering a building that might pose a health risk for them.” Only those Watauga County restaurants that have designated the inside of their building as completely smokefree will be invited to participate in the program. These restaurants will display a window sticker that looks like a traffic light with the green light on. “When you see the sticker with a traffic light on it, you know it is safe to go in,” said Teri VanDyke, Coordinator of the Northwest Tobacco Prevention Coalition. In addition to providing the window/door sticker and a certificate to hang near the restaurant grade, the Northwest Tobacco Prevention Coalition is also creating a list of smoke-free area restaurants in the county. Copies of the list will be available to the public at the Watauga County Health Department. The list will also be distributed at area health events, through the Watauga County School system by the Watauga High Against Tobacco club, and at area hotels that wish to provide them for guests. All Watauga County restaurants are invited to participate in the Smoke Free Dining Campaign. Campaign coordinators will be contacting restaurants that are not currently smokefree and will provide them with information on the benefits of a smokefree worksite. The restaurants will then be asked to consider changing their smoking policy and to join Watauga’s Smokefree Dining Campaign. In 2004, 62% of restaurants in Watauga County were smoke-free. Additional restaurants have adopted a smoke-free policy since then. A survey of Watauga County residents and tourists was conducted by the Watauga High School students this past summer. Of those responding to the survey, 82% said they preferred smokefree dining and 100% said they would continue to patronize their favorite restaurants if they went smokefree. Nineteen percent of the respondents identified themselves as smokers. Sponsors of the program are confident that this campaign will increase the percentage of smokefree restaurants in Watauga County “I am proud of the number of restaurants that have made the decision to provide a healthy, safe atmosphere for employees and patrons,” said Dana Holden, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator for Watauga County Schools. “It shows how important good health is to the folks in this community.”