Key Points: Grassroots organizers, healthcare advocates, professionals and volunteers had the power to make a difference in our community. They created a strategic and tailored educational media campaign that laid the foundation for clean indoor air efforts. Using best practices and state and national expertise to educate policymakers and the community was essential to obtaining “buy in” at many levels. After proposing an ordinance to the city commission, the commission voted to research and develop a draft ordinance. An ordinance was then approved to ban smoking in city restaurants. In hopes of repealing the commissioners' decision, a group of local citizens gathered enough signatures to put the ordinance to a public vote. Due to the community education, the public voted in favor of the ordinance and it was enacted on January 9, 2003, making Salina the first community in Kansas to have a clean indoor air ordinance. Although not comprehensive, it opened the door to 16 other ordinances in Kansas.

Learning Objectives: Learn how to prepare a community for social change at the grassroots level. Discuss strategies to overcome obstacles in clean indoor air efforts and apply lessons learned from other communities.

Benefits: Grassroots efforts are essential in establishing a clean indoor air policy. Participants will benefit from the strategies, successes and lessons learned in Salina. This session will also provide a networking opportunity with community leaders who have been successful in clean indoor air efforts.