Fairfield’s Gateway Village apartments goes smoke-free

March 10, 2017

SOLANO COUNTY – The Solano County Department of Health and Social Services, Public Health Division, Vibe Solano and Neighborhood Empowerment are pleased to announce that Gateway Village, a 56-unit apartment complex located at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. in Fairfield, is now a smoke-free property – the first apartment complex to make this designation this year.

"We hope this is the first of many Solano County complexes to go smoke-free this year," said Wendy Loomas, Health Services Manager, Solano Public Health.  “We want to thank Gateway Village management for its willingness to make the changes and for providing a healthier place for their residents to live.  We are partnering with five additional multi-unit housing complexes in Fairfield and Suisun City to go smoke-free this year.”

It was clear to Gateway Village that there would be advantages to going smoke-free.

“Tenants at Gateway Village are thrilled that we've gone smoke-free; we didn’t get ONE complaint” said Scott Mulvey, President, Neighborhood Empowerment. “The grounds are cleaner, the residents face less exposure to secondhand smoke, and there is a reduced risk of fire.”

Vibe Solano is helping apartment complexes throughout Solano County transition into smoke-free units as part of an effort to reduce exposure to second and third hand smoke, especially for young children and seniors.  Today, there are 15 other smoke-free complexes in Solano County.

Second hand smoke statistics are staggering in the US, with second hand smoke killing more than 400 infants and 41,000 adult nonsmokers every year. One in four nonsmokers (58 million people) in the US is exposed to secondhand smoke, including about two in five children.  Exposure to secondhand smoke is even higher in African-American children (7 in 10 African-American children) and in those living in rental housing (1 in 3).

“As the first complex to go smoke-free this year, Gateway Village is truly a pioneer when it comes to the health and wellness of their community,” explains Aida Camarillo-Avila, Health Education Specialist, Solano Public Health. “We have a new team of partners who have years of apartment management and tobacco prevention experience.  We are looking forward to collaborating with many more apartment owners in the County to go smoke-free.”

Smoke-free apartments help owners, managers and tenants in the following ways:

For apartment owners:

Going smoke-free can save money in reduced insurance rates, reduced turnover time and costs, and reduced risk of fire

For apartment managers:
Going smoke-free can save time in reduced cleaning of shared spaces, reduced turnover time, and fewer tenant complaints about neighbors who smoke.

For apartment tenants:

Going smoke-free, especially those with compromised respiratory systems, reduces their risk of asthma attacks, respiratory illness, and smoke-related diseases such as lung cancer.  This translates into fewer days of work missed due to illness or caring for ill children.

In addition to increasing the number of smoke-free apartments and public spaces, Vibe Solano is working to increase water access in schools, provide healthy food options in neighborhood convenience stores, support clinician and client connections, and offer free Healthier Living, Diabetes Prevention Program and Kick the Butts classes so that residents can live healthy, vibrant lives.

This work is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH) initiative, working with Solano Public Health.  For more information on how to go smoke-free, or information about other Vibe Solano initiatives, call (707) 784-8637 or visit www.VibeSolano.com. 

About Vibe Solano
Vibe Solano is a set of Solano Public Health initiatives, working in partnership with a multi-sectoral coalition of leaders.  Together, we are working toward a more vibrant, healthy Solano.  Our goal is to improve and increase healthy places and options throughout Solano County through policies and environmental changes, so that making the healthy choice is the easier choice. We have many partners, including Live Longer Suisun City, because this work cannot be accomplished by just one organization.  Visit www.VibeSolano.com, or @VibeSolano on Facebook and Twitter to learn how to help us create a more vibrant, healthy Solano.

About Neighborhood Empowerment
Neighborhood Empowerment is a faith-based organization working with residents and others to improve Fairfield’s high crime neighborhoods.  Neighborhood Empowerment partnered with Gateway Village owners and residents to make it a safe, family-friendly place to live.  Going smoke-free is just one of many improvements they have made.