2019 was a phenomenal year for Hawaiʿi Health & Harm Reduction Center. We thank you for being a part of it. We began 2019 with Hawaiʿi’s largest ever harm reduction conference at the Ala Moana Hotel. Over 400 attended, including many service providers and government officials. As 2019 ends, we will hold a private memorial service in honor of the dozens in the community we serve who have passed.

HHHRC is the catalyst for public events that highlight the health needs and well-being of marginalized and underserved populations, including the Honolulu AIDS Walk, International Overdose Awareness Day, Transgender Day of Remembrance, and World AIDS Day. We also conduct quarterly health fairs to connect the unsheltered with medical and social services. In July, we had the opportunity to showcase our programs and staff to U.S. Rep. Ed Case and then U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who visited our mobile syringe access unit in Chinatown.

We are honored to build upon the legacy of our two predecessor organizations, Life Foundation and The CHOW Project. We provide comprehensive case management services for those living with HIV on Oʿahu. We offer no-cost safer sex supplies, HIV and hepatitis testing, linkage services for those who are reactive, overdose prevention training, and smoking cessation services. We administer the state’s syringe access program on Oʿahu, Kauaʿi, Maui, and Hawaiʿi Island to curb the incidence of HIV and hepatitis C among persons who inject drugs. The Kuaʿana Project provides needed support to the transgender community. We are also building our capacity to provide wound care and other needed clinical services to underserved populations.

HHHRC is a key player in Honolulu’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which currently allows police officers to refer those in need of housing and other social services to a service provider. The first-year evaluation from UH researchers found significant improvement in client well-being, decreases in arrests, and savings in emergency room expenses.

Our work received substantial coverage in Hawaiʿi media, including The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Honolulu Civil Beat, Honolulu Magazine, Hawaii News Now, KITV, and KHON. HHHRC staff have also been featured in The Advocate and POZ.

In 2020 we will to continue our work and break new ground. In collaboration with Lt. Gov. Josh Green, the Hawaiʿi State Department of Health, and Hep Free Hawaiʿi, HHHRC will lay the groundwork for a statewide hepatitis B and hepatitis C elimination plan—the first of its kind in the nation.

Even with the resources that we have, including a steadfast staff and valued partners, the tangible human needs we personally encounter daily are boundless. Your year-end contribution of $50, $75, or $100 via paypal.me/H3RC will assist us in providing urgently needed wound care supplies, nutritional assistance, hygiene kit supplies, and other life-saving supplies for over 1,700 patients and program participants.

We hope that we can count on you as partner in 2020, including volunteering or event participation. AIDS Walk 2020 is on June 6! Should you prefer to support HHHRC’s work through the Aloha United Way our designation code is 96650. Mahalo!