PRESTONSBURG — The Floyd County Chamber Of Commerce has instituted this year its fifth annual Youth Leadership Floyd County Program.

This Youth Leadership group is comprised of 12 sophomores representing all four Floyd County high schools. The program, which was designed to promote and develop our future leaders, gives participants in the program an inside view of Floyd County’s health care, economic development/tourism, education, government, and the importance of Leadership.

Recently the Youth Leadership Floyd County Class of 2009 endorsed an initiative to adopt a local ordinance to completely eliminate smoking in places of public assembly, such as restaurants. This initiative, designed by Jean Rosenberg and the Floyd County Health Department, supports the authority of local communities to adopt clean indoor air policies and regulations.

Toxic secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing at least 53,000 nonsmokers in the United States each year. Five minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke constricts the aorta as much as smoking one cigarette, making it more difficult for the heart to pump blood. Studies have shown that levels of toxic secondhand smoke in restaurants and bars are 1.6 to 6 times higher than in office workplaces.

“Both Leadership Floyd County and Youth Leadership Floyd County have signed resolutions to support the adoption of a smoke-free ordinance in Floyd County and to have our future leaders concerned not only about the citizens of Floyd County but the health of our citizens is phenomenal and I’m very supportive of their efforts,” said Mandy Stumbo, director of the Floyd County Chamber Of Commerce.