David Y. Ige

HONOLULU – The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) Harm Reduction Services Branch is pleased to announce the 2016 Annual Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award will be presented posthumously to Charles “Chuck” Lyden. The award ceremony will be held at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in downtown Honolulu on Thursday, Dec. 1 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Lyden is being honored for dedicating more than 25 years of his life to addressing HIV, the needs of people living with HIV, and the providers who serve them in Hawaii.

Lyden began his work in HIV in Hawaii in 1990, when he joined the Board of Directors of Pacific Care, a local HIV organization, and served until 1998. In 2001, Lyden joined the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii at Manoa as an instructor with the AIDS Education Project (AEP), where he continued until his retirement in 2015. From 2004-2014, Lyden became the executive director of the AIDS Community Care Team (ACCT), which coordinated Ryan White funding in Hawaii.

One of the most unique aspects of Lyden’s work in HIV is that he supported those who support people at risk for and living with HIV. He took care of the caretakers, and provided education, training, and support to those who work hard every day to save lives in the HIV epidemic. Lyden realized the importance of nurturing and supporting the frontline workers, especially case managers and physicians. He always did so with kindness, compassion and a wonderful laugh and smile. For HIV providers on the Neighbor Islands, Lyden was their connection to the larger community.

As part of his work with the AEP, Lyden provided educational and social opportunities for HIV healthcare providers and case managers to get together and learn how to best serve their patients. Through his work with ACCT, Lyden supported the statewide HIV planning groups. He also helped DOH implement Ryan White Care Act services through AIDS Service Organizations across the state.

Suzanne Richmond-Crum passed away in August 2004 after serving as director of the Hawaii Seropositivity and Medical Management Program of the Department of Health’s STD/AIDS Prevention Branch for more than 10 years. The award was established in honor of the competence and compassion she demonstrated in her HIV/AIDS work, and is presented annually to an individual in Hawaii for their outstanding contribution in providing HIV/AIDS services.

To mark World AIDS Day 2016 on Dec. 1, Hawaii will host two major community events. The Hawai’i Center for AIDS (HICFA) will hold a morning symposium to update the public and the medical community on progress in the ambitious HICFA campaign: H20 – Hawai’i to Zero – with the goal of eliminating HIV infection in the state. This presentation is free and open to the public (with advanced registration) and will be held at the John A. Burns School of Medicine campus in Kaka’ako from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration and information are at: https://hawaii2zero.jabsom.hawaii.edu/register/.

The annual World AIDS Day ceremony to commemorate those lost to the epidemic and honor those working to end it, will be held at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in downtown Honolulu from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and will feature hula from the Kananiokeakua School of Hula keiki and choral selections by the Hawai’i Vocal Arts Ensemble. Keynote speakers will be Al and Jane Nakatani from Maui, who are well known from the book and film “Honor Thy Children” for their work in promoting tolerance and compassion.

For more information on all statewide World AIDS Day events go to: www.worldaidsdayhawaii.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Nighat Quadri

Harm Reduction Services Branch

Phone: (808) 733-4380

[email protected]