Breathe Kalihi
Breathe Kalihi, KKV’s tobacco cessation program is actively working to support people trying to quit smoking. The program offers free medication and nicotine replacements, free counseling sessions, strategies to learn relaxation, and stress management.
KKV’s Behavioral Health Team
Tobacco Care Coordinator, Maria Janelle Bautista.
The program lies within the Behavioral Health (BH) program in KKV’s Judd Medical Clinic but the work intersects with all KKV departments. Last July, BH hired Maria Janelle Bautista as the new Tobacco Care Coordinator, filling a role that had been vacant due to the COVID pandemic. Maria’s daily routine is varied, from meeting clients in person to go over cessation options, to conducting telehealth appointments. On Tuesdays, she heads to KKV’s clinic at the Towers at Kuhio Park (KPT), where she sees patients and talks with staff about including tobacco and smoking questions in their conversations with community residents. Last year, Maria worked with KKV’s MCH team to set up a booth for BH and the cessation program at one of the quarterly health pop-up events for residents.
HAWAIʻI TOBACCO CESSATION RESOURCES
Hawai'i Tobacco Quitline:
1-800-Quit-Now \ hawaiiquitline.org
My Life My Quit (for ages 12-17 yrs old):
808NOVAPE:
Maria’s aim is to educate KKV staff to provide “warm handoffs” to the tobacco program. “It’s something every KKV staff member should know about,” she says. “The BH team is always available to offer further assessment. For many of our patients, on-the-spot education is priceless because you never know when and how our messaging will resonate.”
This year, Maria plans to incorporate incentives into the tobacco program. Besides giving people a free “quit kit”—which includes mint candy, gum, and fidget toys, the program will begin rewarding success with various prizes such as water bottles, hygiene products, and coloring books. The program also plans to resume hosting educational outreach events at schools and churches that focus on smoking and vaping.
Each person’s “quit journey” is different, so this calls for individualized plans. “It is never linear,” she says, “but more of an up and down. Sometimes, a person does well, and other times something stressful happens and he or she will smoke again. The main thing is to keep going.”
Mahalo to KKV’s tobacco treatment specialists:
Maria Janelle Bautista - Care Coordinator/TTS
Sharonne Jacinto - Care Coordinator
Dr. Lisa Ho - Clinical Psychologist
Etsuko Foster - Licensed clinical social worker
