Mahalo Sara Bauer!

 In June of 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sara Bauer took over as Director of KKV’s Maternal Child Health (MCH) program.  She had large shoes to fill, after the 12-year leadership of former Director, Doris Segal-Matsunaga, who had shaped MCH into a one-stop shop.  At MCH, women could meet with Women Infant Children (WIC) representatives, then move on to the Ohana Play and Learn (OPL) room for reading and developmental play activities, then on to Perinatal or Family Planning.  The jumble of

cubicles and the brightly colored OPL space in KKV’s Judd Medical Clinic was a happy chaos of welcoming staff and services. 

But COVID-19 turned this model on its head, forcing Sara to quickly shift MCH for the new circumstances of the pandemic.  She re-emphasized the key role of community health workers (CHWs) in MCH care, and redirected staff out into the community, rather than have them wait for patients in the clinic.  At the same time, some services, such as WIC, shifted almost seamlessly to virtual care, providing services through remote technology and rather than clinic visits.  Under Sara’s guidance, MCH received a highly competitive Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) innovations grant, addressing “Emerging Issues in Maternal Child Health. This funding has enabled MCH to expand its Family Strengthening program, so that it can focus even more on the needs of the whole household and engage women in safe spaces within the community, in language.  The MCH team took OPL out to the pediatric exam rooms, out into the hallways of the clinic, and out to Kaluaopalena community garden and Kuhio Park Towers (KPT) program rooms. Hundreds of young mothers have received donated diapers, baby bags, car seats, strollers, boxes of food, books, outreach that continues today.  These mothers also participated in “talk story” sessions and surveys facilitated by CHWs, so KKV can better align MCH with their needs.  

A public health nurse since 2013, Sara initially came to KKV five years ago as part of the Blue Room team that worked across KKV departments to focus on cross-training (“Pathways”) and to oversee a multi-year Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant that engaged youth and community around trauma and resilience-informed care and training.  Sara was an adjunct professor at Chaminade University for the clinical portion of the senior-level Public Health Nursing course and was also a lecturer with Kapiolani Community College for KKV’s Community Health Worker Certification. 

Sara has done a lot in a short time and now returns to Minnesota where her family lives. “It was so refreshing and enlivening to work at a place where the purpose is to draw off of peoples’ resilience and inherent worth and to build that up,” Sara recalls. “I used to say of KKV, ‘I’m finally getting fed’.  I’ve been getting food my entire life, but this is food that endures. What’s happening at KKV is really special and I hope that the meaningful work continues to grow and resonate beyond Kalihi too.” 

Sara, we love you, will miss you, and wish you blessings, joy and adventure for your return home to Minnesota.  Please stay in touch.