Talk Story With Judy Beaver, Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i Island Coalition’s New Chair

The important work carried out by the Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i Island Coalition (TFHI) requires a dedicated, committed membership and experienced leadership. In addition to my role as the TFHI coalition coordinator, the TFHI coalition Chair plays an important part in guiding and facilitating our members. This year, TFHI welcomes Judy Beaver as its new Chair.

Judy brings extensive knowledge and experience in tobacco prevention and cessation, and currently works as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist at Hawai‘i Island Community Health Center.

Judy began her journey as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist with Bay Clinic in Hilo in 2018. Four years later, Bay Clinic merged with the West Hawaiʻi Community Health Center to become what is now Hawai‘i Island Community Health Center (HICHC). I recently sat down to talk story with Judy about her work over the years.

On her work as a tobacco treatment specialist: “Honestly, I was not aware that there was such a program being offered to the public. The past 8 ½ years have provided me with so much knowledge and understanding about why it is so very difficult to put this addiction behind us. I smoked for 42 years and tried many times to quit. Had I known these cessation programs were available, I might have quit sooner. Being nicotine-free for 10 years now, I am grateful to be in a position to help others begin their journey to become tobacco-free, and that HICHC strongly supports our tobacco program by encouraging us to reach out to as many people as possible to offer our services.”

When asked about the trends she’s noticed in tobacco use over the years, she replied, “Oh my goodness…in my day, there were not a lot of options with tobacco use. Smoke it… chew it… spit it… lol. Now it seems like we face a new trend every year. Cigarettes, cigars, and pipes have not really changed much in use and appearance in the past few years, except that people overall are smoking less… yeah!”

I then asked what she thought of the newest products being pushed by the industry. “Vaping is an interesting concept. I watched when it started, and watched even more closely as it developed into a very serious problem. I remember in the beginning when all you could see were people of all ages standing around, surrounded by huge white clouds of smoke. Now the clouds have cleared significantly, yet the physical effect has not improved, thanks to the increase in nicotine strength in e-liquid.

Sadly, the newest trend is nicotine pouches. I personally feel this is going to keep everyone busy trying to find ways to stop the distribution to our youth. We have a fight on our hands!”

My final question was to describe her experience with the TFHI coalition. “This group of dedicated individuals amazes me. They are always working on a mission to provide education and are in search of answers for all who are in need. I sit in awe most of the time during meetings and listen to the level of involvement they are committed to. I am honored to be a part of this as the Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i Island Coalition Chair.”

Mahalo Judy for taking the time to speak with me and your leadership! If you’d like to get involved with the TFHI coalition, please contact me at jay@hiphi.org.