Healthier Air for All Partners with WWOZ for Statewide Smoke-Free Concert Series

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New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) May 16, 2014

The Healthier Air for All Campaign, an initiative of The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL), has partnered with WWOZ, a non-profit community-supported radio station in New Orleans, to host a statewide concert tour. The “Join the Movement” Tour is a six-city tour to promote the importance of healthy, smoke-free environments for Louisiana musicians and fans of live music.

The Tour will kick off on Tuesday, May 20th in New Orleans at the Blue Nile, for a special smoke-free night for the Open Ears Concert in celebration of Sun Ra’s 100th Anniversary. Performances include Jeff Albert, James Singleton, Brad Walker, Ray Moore, Rick Trolson, Jimbo Walsh and more. The tour will also visit Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Hammond, Lake Charles and Shreveport.

“Musicians, patrons and employees in smoky venues are exposed to the high levels of secondhand smoke– often at levels 300-600% higher than other employees exposed to secondhand smoke on the job,” said Tonia Moore, Associate Director for TFL. “The ‘Join the Movement’ Tour gives these groups the opportunity to work, play and enjoy the music they love in a smoke-free venue.”

This concert tour is part of the larger Healthier Air for All media campaign launched earlier this year by TFL. The campaign showcases the many smoke-free events and venues across the state in hopes of getting increased support for those businesses and increase the number of businesses who choose to voluntarily go smoke-free, and illustrate the growing movement towards a smoke-free Louisiana.

“As the Guardians of the Groove we must protect the music but also the artists that create the music,” stated David Freedman, General Manager of WWOZ. “This partnership with Healthier Air for All protects our musicians and live-music lovers from the health dangers and harmful effects of secondhand smoke.”

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living
The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Tobacco Control Program (LTCP) coordinate their efforts in tobacco prevention and control by providing statewide coordination of existing tobacco control initiatives, funding innovative community programs for tobacco control, offering services for people who are ready to quit and developing statewide media campaigns to help reduce the excessive burden of tobacco use on the state’s resources and improve the overall health and quality of life in Louisiana. For more information visit http://www.tobaccofreeliving.org. To find out more about the dangers of secondhand smoke and show your support for a 100-percent smoke-free Louisiana, visit http://www.healthierairforall.org.

About the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium (LCRC)
The Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium of New Orleans provides a structure in which Tulane University Health Sciences Center and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - the state's two leading medical research institutions - will work together and coordinate cancer research development in preparation for recognition as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) - Designated Cancer Center. The consortium is funded through five cents of the tobacco excise tax, three cents to fund infrastructure and cancer research program development for the new Consortium and two cents for tobacco control and prevention programs. Conservative estimates indicate that approximately $10 million per year will be generated from this revenue source. For more information, visit http://www.lcrc.info.

About the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI)
Founded in 1997, The Louisiana Public Health Institute’s mission is to promote and improve the health and quality of life in Louisiana through public-private partnering at the community, parish and state levels. By fostering collaborative endeavors in the areas of health information, public policy, applied research, and community capacity enhancement, LPHI works to develop community-oriented solutions that improve the health of the Louisiana population. For more information, visit http://www.lphi.org.

About WWOZ
WWOZ 90.7 FM is the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Station, a community radio station currently operating out of the French Market Corporation Offices in New Orleans. The governance board is appointed by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation. The station is a listener-supported, volunteer-programmed radio station. WWOZ covers many events live in and around the city and across the United States. The station currently broadcasts live from the famed New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival annually.

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