A proposed outdoor smoking ban on Pima County property would mean that an evening out at the Community Performance and Art Center would have to be smokeless. But officials there don’t think it would keep many people away. The county is considering a smoking ban on most outdoor county properties that would end designated smoking areas around entrances and the unofficial smoking spots in breezeways and parking lots. It would not ban smoking in county parks or on hiking trails. CPAC board president Nancy Karsh said that with the facility located on a 17-acre campus, nobody will be ducking out for a quick smoke at intermission.
An outdoor smoking ban, Karsh said, “is going to be a problem. Essentially it’s going to mean no smoking that evening.” CPAC Executive Director Chris Ashcraft said “my first inkling is I’m not too sure that this would affect us. People really love this place and I feel the regulars will come.” Karsh could not estimate the number of smokers among the regular attendees, but said that based on the statewide indoor smoking ban in bars and restaurants, she doubts that CPAC will lose many patrons.
The no-smoking proposal was made by county Human Resources Director Allyn Bulzomi, who said the goal is “to create a healthy environment for our employees and public when on county property.” Bulzomi is gathering feedback from county departments and plans to get the proposal on the Board of Supervisors agenda by mid-November. If the board adopts the proposal, it could go into effect Jan. 1. About one-third of 5,300 county employees are smokers and 100 of those are enrolled in a stop-smoking program.
A memo that County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry sent to the County Supervisors said “the new policy would ban all tobacco use on all County property, including exterior spaces, and would apply to all employees, visitors and others on County property.” The policy would apply to all county vehicles and to construction workers on county projects and vendors visiting county buildings. “At this time the proposal does not specifically address county parks,” Bulzomi said.
The no-smoking proposal would not affect agencies that lease land from the county, such as the Country Fair White Elephant thrift store, and if the proposed policy does wind up covering parks, it would not affect Sahuarita Park, which is leased by Sahuarita Unified School District. The no-smoking policy was recommended by the county’s Health Insurance Benefit and Wellness Advisory Committee to continue the county effort to educate employees on wellness.
“Based on the premium discounts, which can total $40 per month, there has been a significant shift by employees toward health and wellness activities with 100 employees enrolled in QuitPower for tobacco cessation; 3,200 employees receiving personal feedback on health and safety issues as a result of taking their health assessments; numerous employees seeking preventative exams and health screenings; and over 2,000 employees submitting exercise tracking logs,” Huckelberry said in the memo. The county’s efforts already have reduced health care claims significantly, Bulzomi said. While no exact savings figure was available, he said the ratio of claims to premiums has dropped by 15 to 20 percent, though an increase in premiums caused part of that change.
More telling, he said the 3,200 or so county employees with Health Savings Accounts have saved $8 million over the past several years by consuming less in health care services. In order to keep such savings from flowing to health insurers, the county plans may soon insure itself, which also would save money that otherwise would go into corporate profits. In October, the county will seek bids for one or more health plan administrators who would handle claims under the self-insurance program, Bulzomi said. It is possible the county may randomly test non-smokers who are receiving premium discounts to see if they are complying because Maricopa County and other employers have discovered an unusual level of respiratory-related illness among people claiming to be non-smokers, Bulzomi said.
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