Healthy Savannah Celebrates 15th Anniversary of Savannah’s Smoke Free Air Ordinance
Thursday, April 2nd, 2026
March 30, 2026, Healthy Savannah is commemorating the 15th anniversary of the City of Savannah Smoke Free Air Ordinance, a landmark public health policy passed in 2010, effective January 1, 2011, which has significantly improved air quality and health outcomes across the community.
The ordinance prohibits smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes, in all enclosed public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars. It also requires a smoke-free buffer of at least 10 feet from entrances, operable windows, and ventilation systems, helping protect residents, workers, and visitors from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
The initiative was conceived by then City of Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson, Ph.D., who founded Healthy Savannah in 2007 after suffering a heart attack the previous year. Under Johnson’s guidance, Healthy Savannah spearheaded the BreathEasy Savannah campaign in 2010, leading to the passage of the ordinance.
“I was given a second chance at life,” said Johnson. “So I dedicated myself to doing what I could to promote healthy living and to prevent a lot of preventable diseases in the Savannah community. Paula Kreissler and Amy Hughes provided invaluable leadership, and we used an inside/outside strategy to get the ordinance passed."
Healthy Savannah’s goal was, and remains today, to make the healthy choice the easy choice for all citizens, especially those in underserved communities.
“We continue to see the lasting health benefits of Dr. Johnson’s leadership in this effort, as well as continued community collaboration with more than 200 partner organizations today,” said Armand Turner, executive director. “Through Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant funds, Healthy Savannah is also helping ensure access to nutritious foods, promoting safe walking and bike trails, and supporting breastfeeding-friendly policies in the community.”
Data from the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition (CGIC) and the Georgia Department of Public Health demonstrate meaningful improvements in public health since the implementation of smoke-free policies:
• Emergency room visit rates due to asthma have declined steadily since 2012, with a sharp drop from 2019 to 2020. Although rates have increased slightly since 2020, they remain lower than in comparable counties.
• Deaths due to obstructive heart disease in Chatham County declined from approximately 100 per 100,000 residents in 2013 to 58 per 100,000 in 2024. In 2024, the county’s rate again fell below the state average, similar to trends seen in 2018.
• The percentage of mothers who smoked during pregnancy has decreased consistently since 2012.
“These trends reflect the power of policy to protect health,” Turner added. “Smoke-free environments don’t just change behavior, they reduce disease, save lives, and create healthier spaces for everyone.”
Turner says the success of Savannah’s ordinance also helped pave the way for broader smoke-free policies throughout the region and state, with several organizations and jurisdictions later adopting smoke-free policies, including:
• 2011: Savannah Chatham County Public School System and Armstrong State University
• 2012: Chatham County
• 2014: All Georgia universities
• 2015: City of Pooler
Earlier milestones included Memorial University Medical Center becoming smoke-free in 2004 and the Georgia Smokefree Air Act, which went into effect statewide on July 1, 2005.
