Orange County’s smoking ban has received national recognition, as the National Association of Counties (NACo) has awarded the Health Department and Board of Health with a 2014 Achievement Award.

“We are thrilled with this award. It is wonderful that Orange County is being recognized as a national leader in the quest for healthier communities,” Orange County Manager Bonnie Hammersley said in a press release Monday.

NACo awards counties from across the United States for increasing the well-being of its residents while modernizing county government. Orange’s smoke-free public policy beat a host of other county policy applications to win its first Achievement Award.

The smoking ban, put in place on July 1, 2013, prohibits smoking in all outdoor locations owned by Orange County and its towns, including sidewalks, bus stops and parks, in addition to indoor areas that are open to the general public.

The goals of the ban are to educate residents about the dangers of cigarette smoking and eliminate secondhand smoke, one of the leading causes of preventable disease in the state.

To learn more about Orange County’s smoking ban, click here or visit the Health Department website.

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