| OCR Text |
Show THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED PERSONS The Area 8 office of The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) is headed by Area Director Lee White. Located in Midvale, the office represents the states of Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and North and South Dakota. There are approximately 800,000 national AARP members in the six state area. Mr. White is a graduate of the University of Utah with a Masters of Science in Sociology and a Graduate Certificate in Gerontology. James Wordelman serves as Health Representative for AARP. He oversees volunteer health care advocacy and education efforts. AARP has named health care reform as the association's number one priority. Kenneth Creer, DVM is AARP State Director. Dr. Creer, a resident of Springville, Utah oversees volunteer activities and programs for 149,339 AARP members in Utah. Irene Christiansen is State Coordinator for Health Advocacy Services in Utah. Ms. Christiansen recruits, trains, and directs the efforts of local health volunteers situated throughout the state. Volunteers conduct and participate in health and wellness fairs, organize mall walks, advocate for health care reform and address groups on the importance of early cancer detection. HB 50 -- PUBLIC INDOOR SMOKING RESTRICTIONS The 1994 Utah State Legislature passed HB 50, an important public health measure that will ban smoking in public places. Sponsored by Representative Jordan Tanner in the House and Senator Robert Montgomery in the Senate, HB 50 was legislation passed due to their efforts and the collective efforts of many groups and individuals, including Utah County High School Students, The Utah Department of Health, the American Cancer Society of Utah, Utah PTA, the Utah Medical Association, the local health departments, child advocacy groups, and many others. Going into effect January 1, 1995, the law will ban smoking in all enclosed indoor places with public access, such as restaurants, hotel lobbies, bowling alleys, truck stops, office buildings and athletic arenas. There are a few exceptions, which are as follows: 1. social, fraternal or religious organizations 2. single owner-operator businesses not commonly open to the public 3. taverns and private clubs 4. guest rooms in lodging facilities such as hotels that are designated as smoking rooms 5. two separately enclosed and separately ventilated smoking areas at the Salt Lake City International Airport Under HB 50 nonpublic workplaces may negotiate their own smoking policy through a collective bargaining process and prepare it in written form. If there are fewer than ten full-time employees the policy need not be in writing. The policy can prohibit smoking in the workplace, restrict smoking to designated enclosed smoking areas, or permit smoking in designated unenclosed smoking areas if 3/4 of the employees in the workplace agree. Utah will have the first state-wide smoking ban law in the nation to go into effect. Vermont passed a piece of legislation in 1993 that is more strict than the Utah law. But it is only partially in effect. The remainder of Vermont's law goes into effect in July 1995. 124 ISSUES AND UPDATES |
