RIDDLE VILLAGE GOES SMOKE-FREE

The Riddle Village Board of Directors recently approved a campus-wide smoke-free policy for the purpose of creating a healthy environment for their residents, employees, visitors, and contractors by eliminating exposure to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. While the Village has always been a smoke-free building, residents were permitted to smoke in their apartments and employees had a designated smoking area outside of the employee entrance. This will no longer be permitted under this new policy.

Riddle Village employees were informed on October 1st that they new policy would go into effective on April 1, 2008. Being sensitive to the current users of tobacco products and to afford a reasonable time to prepare for the new policy, a 6-month grace period was provided allowing the employees the opportunity to attend cessation programs at no cost to them, if they choose to do so.

“What makes this initiative very unique in the retirement industry,” according to Bob Bertolette, President of Riddle Village, “is that it includes new residents moving onto the campus not just the employees. While we were required to “grandfather” existing residents due to contractual obligations, new residents moving into the Village after August 1, 2007 are not permitted to smoke anywhere on the campus including their apartments.” This bold new initiative was fully supported by the Council of the Resident Association and well received by the general population including the employees.