Birmingham Approves No-Smoking “Health District”
The Birmingham City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday to ban smoking in a portion of downtown Birmingham. The designated “health district” includes much of UAB’s campus, Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Cooper Green Mercy Health Services, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Jefferson County Department of Health. Under the new ordinance, smoking will be prohibited in all public places within the district, including city sidewalks, streets, bus stops and parks.
Officials with UAB, Children’s Hospital, Cooper Green, the Jefferson County Board of Health, Southern Research and the VA Medical Center requested the creation of the health district to “promote the health of their staff, patients, students, visitors and the public.”
During Tuesday’s public hearing before the city council, several doctors and students spoke in support of the ordinance. Dr. Susan Walley, pediatrician at UAB and Children’s Hospital, said most of the medical facilities and organizations within the new district already have “smoke-free” policies.
“So we felt this was really an opportunity to make the entire area smoke-free,” Walley said, “so that visitors, staff, patients could all have a smoke free environment to walk from building to building, to improve walkability and health.”
She said there is “no safe level” of exposure to second-hand smoke and that tobacco exposure is a leading cause of preventable death and disease in Alabama.

Shelby Kile
Officials with UAB, Jefferson County Department of Health, Children’s Hospital of Alabama and the Birmingham VA spoke in support of the new ordinance.
When council members asked about how the ban would be enforced, officials said supporting organizations would take on the responsibility to educate the public and remind people about the ordinance. Dr. Mark Wilson, health officer with the Jefferson County Department of Health, says the Birmingham Police Department and UAB campus police would have authority to issue fines to those who violate the ordinance. But Wilson says health organizations are more focused on education and providing resources to help people stop smoking.
No one spoke against the ordinance during Tuesday’s hearing, though some have objected to it on social media, saying the creation of the health district infringes on personal freedom. In response, Walley said the new ordinance is about protecting the public’s right to clean air.
“This is not anti-smoking,” she said. “[It] is promoting clean air and promoting having no second-hand smoke.”
Speaking in favor of the ordinance, Councilor Steven Hoyt said he hopes healthcare officials will continue to address other public health concerns, such as exposure to pollution in North Birmingham.
“If health is a concern of the hospital, then health anywhere, and the impediment of one’s quality of life should be a concern of all of us,” Hoyt said.
The new ordinance does not restrict smoking in moving vehicles and private residences. Property owners within the district, including hospitals, can create a designated outdoor smoking zone up to 200 square feet in size. The city’s current definition of “smoking,” established in a 2012 ordinance that banned smoking inside public places, does not include vaping or the use of e-cigarettes, but health officials said they hope to change that.
“I would very much like to come back to the city council soon with an amendment to the 2012 ordinance to include vaping and e-cigarettes, other nicotine containing products,” said Dr. Mark Wilson.
Officials with UAB said they will now work with other sponsoring organizations to develop an awareness campaign to educate the public about the new health district. The ordinance will go into effect December 1.
India (and its kids) are out to conquer the world of chess
Chess is seeing a global resurgence, sparked by The Queen's Gambit and the pandemic impact on leisure time. India is an emerging power player, with 85 grandmasters and intense chess schools for youth.
Colombian Presidential hopeful shot at Bogotá rally
A Colombian Presidential hopeful in critical condition after being shot during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday. The assassination attempt is having a chilling effect in Colombia where security has been backsliding recently.
How a network of women in Latin America transformed safe, self-managed abortions
An underground network of feminists and activists developed new models of care for abortion that eventually helped legalize abortion in countries across Latin America.
NPR readers share stories of love and adversity in honor of Loving Day
June 12th is Loving Day, a holiday that commemorates the Loving v. Virginia case, which allowed interracial marriage in all parts of the U.S. NPR readers share how the case changed their lives.
Chile’s Indigenous fishermen say the salmon industry threatens their way of life
Salmon farming is big business in Chile, and the U.S. is one of its largest markets. Yet the fish are not native, and fishermen say salmon are damaging ecosystems and an Indigenous way of life.
Recovery Failure: Why we struggle to rebuild for the next storm
NPR and the PBS series Frontline investigate the forces keeping communities from building resiliently, and the special interests that profit even when communities don't.