Brooklyn Smoke-Free Partnership (BSFP)
The Brooklyn Smoke-Free Partnership (BSFP) is an advocacy group based in New York City that promotes quitting nicotine product use and eliminating smoking in residential buildings and public spaces through municipal legislation and property-manager policies. The organization also works to restrict the marketing of tobacco products to young people. The BSFP is funded through grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and from the New York State Department of Health. 1
Contents
The BSFP is part of a network of anti-tobacco groups that includes the municipal-level NYC Smoke-Free and the state-level Smoke Free Housing NY. 2 3 It is funded primarily with taxpayer dollars through federal and state heath grants. 1
Initiatives
The Brooklyn Smoke-Free Partnership works to reduce tobacco product use at the individual and community level. 4 As part of this, it connects people to the New York state tobacco-quitting support line and website. 5 It also makes recommendations to property managers and municipal officials for limiting smoking in residential spaces, especially in low-income housing. 6 The organization’s partners have also worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create resources for residents trying to restrict smoking in their buildings. 7
The BSFP works with other local organizations that wish to promote smoking cessation. In 2018, the BSFP backed the Muslim Community Network, a New York City-based advocacy group that works to direct public opinion of Islam while also promoting left-of-center policies on freedom of expression and immigration. 8 The BSFP has also collaborated with New York City’s Chinese-American Planning Council. 9
Leadership
Rachelle Rochelle is the manager of the Brooklyn Smoke-Free Partnership. She has called for New York authorities to implement laws similar to those in countries like Canada, Britain, Australia, and Ireland, where shops are required to stock tobacco products in sections out of sight of children. 10