Statement from Lori Taylor, Executive Director of Breathe DC: It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I inform you that our CEO, Founder, Chairman, and friend of Breathe DC, Rolando Andrewn, unexpectedly passed away on Saturday, February 25, 2023, at Inova Fairfax Hospital. As you reflect on the impact of his life and legacy in the community and across the nation, please allow his family time to process this great loss The Memorial Service for Rolando Andrewn will take place Tuesday, March 7th from 10:00am-11:30am at First Church of Christ Holiness (USA) 1219 Hamlin Street, NE, Washing ..read more

April 29, 2021 Breathe DC agrees with the FDA: Ending menthol sales saves lives Moving to end the sale of menthol flavored cigarettes is right for public health, especially the health of millions of Black Americans WASHINGTON, DC — Breathe DC applauds today’s decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to move to end the sale of menthol flavored cigarettes. For more than six decades, Big Tobacco has selectively marketed menthol-flavored cigarettes to the Black communities, with devastating impacts. Smoking kills 45,000 Black Americans each year. Lung cancer kills more Black Americans ..read more

Picnic anyone? DC Residents Host Outdoor Get Togethers With physical distancing still an important part of stopping the spread of COVID-19, the reality for many of us is that it’s become more and more difficult to stay socially disconnected. Shared meals, play dates and togetherness are a big part of who we are as people, neighbors and communities. One way that a lot of our fellow District residents are finding a way to beat the blues of social and physical distancing: picnics in the park (or any public, open air spaces)! Using care to come together in small groups, maintain distance, wearin ..read more

Recognizing and Breaking Smoking Trigger Patterns (Do This Instead!) Many smokers have “pattern triggers.” A pattern trigger describes something that connects an everyday activity to smoking. For some people, their morning coffee is a pattern trigger: they grab a coffee and a cigarette and smoke while they drink. For other people, it’s a lunch break at work or the commute drive home. When you take time to identify your pattern triggers and be mindful of them, you’ve taken the first step to overcoming them. The next step is to figure out what to do in place of smoking, to retrain your mind an ..read more

Little Rollie started smoking before he was a teen. At the time, he did not know that cigarettes were so mean. He said, My father smoked Winstons and so do I. Thinking he was cool, hip, so fly. … In Tobacco Dead Ends, the new installment in the Rollie Rhymes poetry story series, we learn about Rollie’s tobacco initiation, re-initiation and decision to quit, with lifelong impact. Read the full Tobacco Dead Ends poem here → Breathe DC staff are sharing their firsthand tobacco experience, past and present, to help shine a light on the ways that tobacco has affected their lives. In this instal ..read more

4 Steps to Quit Smoking Cold Turkey Does this describe where you are with smoking: You’ve made the decision to quit smoking to live a healthier lifestyle for you and your family. You’ve decided you’re going to make a clean break. If this sounds like you, or where you’re headed, we applaud you! And we want you to know that Breathe DC is here to help you with resources, advice and support every step of the way. Quitting smoking has many benefits, but it’s no easy task, especially quitting cold turkey. There are some advantages and some challenges–some pros and cons–to quitting cold turkey. Her ..read more

Here comes the express bus, right on time. Always reliable, a roadmaster in its prime. Good morning dapper young man, the friendly bus driver greeted. Let me know where you are headed before you are seated. Rollie answered, To a school in Riverdale, the land of plenty. Well, relax young man, the ride is lengthy. … So begins Chasing Kindness the latest poem in the Rollie Rhymes series. Read the full Chasing Kindness poem here → Breathe DC staff are sharing their firsthand tobacco experience, past and present, to help shine a light on the ways that tobacco has affected their lives. In this i ..read more

Breathe DC staff are sharing their firsthand tobacco experience, past and present, to help shine a light on the ways that tobacco has affected their lives. In this first installment of staff stories, our chief executive Rolando Andrewn uses poetry to share an experience he had with tobacco “back in the day” in New York City. Read Rollie Rhymes Restaurant Blues ..read more

A Statement from Breathe DC’s President and CEO Breathe DC is angered and outraged by the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. These senseless murders go against all of humanity’s principles of caring, inclusion and justice. Our mission, centered around the fact that “Every breath counts,” aims at addressing health disparities in communities of color through promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing lung disease. In essence, Breathe DC is here to help our people breathe easier. However, our efforts are challenged daily by tobacco companies spending millions ..read more

Breathe DC Urges DC Council to Fund Tobacco Control On June 5th, 2020, Breathe DC’s president and chief executive officer, Rolando Andrewn, submitted written testimony to the DC Council’s Committee on Health urging the Committee to recommend level funding for DC Health’s tobacco control programs. The harm caused by cigarette smoking is devastating. It is the only product that if used as intended, will kill. Each year more than 700 adults over 35 year’s old die in the District as a result of tobacco related illness and disease. Breathe DC urges the Committee on Health to continue funding the ..read more