News Releases from Department of Health

People in Hawaii with behavioral health disorders are disproportionately burdened by the harmful effects of smoking and tobacco use.

In collaboration with the University of California San Francisco, Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC), the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Adult Mental Health Division (AMHD) is addressing this issue and is holding free, all-day workshops titled, “Dimensions: Tobacco Free Program,” in Honolulu and Hilo for behavioral health and substance abuse professionals.

The workshops are designed for leaders and program staff involved with behavioral health, substance abuse, or nicotine dependence and treatment. They will be held on the following dates and locations:

• Hilo
  Monday, May 18 (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.)

State Office Building, Conference Rooms B & C (75 Aupuni Street)
Parking: Meter parking is available

• Honolulu

Tuesday, May 19 (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.)

University of Hawaii, Cancer Center, Sullivan Conference Room (701 Ilalo Street)

Parking: Meter parking, self pre-pay, and pre-pay attendant monitored parking are a block or less away

The keynote speakers are Chad Morris, Ph.D. and Cindy Morris, Psy.D. from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, School of Medicine. They will provide information about evidence-based counseling, medication options, and referral strategies for tobacco cessation, as well as practical strategies for integrating cessation services into daily practice. They will also present case studies to demonstrate effective techniques and guidelines to realistically and practically effect action and behavioral change.

Deadline to register is Thursday, May 14. To register online, visit https://amhdtobaccocessation.wufoo.com/forms/zz99uck057jsty/

For more information, contact Stacy Haitsuka of the Adult Mental Health Division, at

(808) 453-6987 or [email protected].

Background
These workshops are a result of a summit held in December 2014, in which 48 leaders and advocates in public health, behavioral health, and tobacco control came together for the first-ever initiative focused on reducing smoking prevalence among people with behavioral health disorders in the State of Hawaii.

The summit was held by the Hawaii State Department of Health, in partnership with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the University of California San Francisco, Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC). The summit was a continuation of the work from the SAMHSA 2014 State Policy Academy on Tobacco Control in Behavioral Health at which Hawaii was a state participant.

The purpose of the summit was to design an action plan for Hawaii to reduce smoking and nicotine addiction among individuals with mental illness and addictions, and to create an environment of collaboration and integration among the fields of public health, including tobacco control and prevention, mental health, and substance abuse services.

Summit participants represented state, and local agencies, including mental health, addictions, consumer, community services, non-profit, academic, and chronic disease prevention organizations.