Allison Napier

In January 2015, just months after I became a PHAP associate, the New Orleans City Council unanimously passed a city-wide smoke-free ordinance, which went into effect on April 22, 2015. My supervisors knew I had been working to build my health literacy skills, so they asked me to establish and chair a health literacy committee for the department. As the chairperson, I was asked to create plain language materials to help business owners understand and implement the new smoke-free ordinance. I was very excited to use my skills on such an important and impactful public health initiative, particularly one that had received widespread media attention in the months leading up to its implementation.

First, I helped translate a smoke-free fact sheet full of complex legal terms and regulations into easy-to-understand language, simplified the main messages with headings and bullets, created more white space, and removed jargon. Then, I helped to design the “No Smoking or Vaping” signs that are now permanent fixtures all over New Orleans. It is really cool to see my work everywhere I go. Finally, I was part of the outreach team that delivered the toolkits to all types of businesses and answered questions. I even received a shout-out from Mayor Mitch Landrieu on social media!