Capitol Modern exhibit of National Aids Memorial Quilt Hawaiʻi Panels debuts on World Aids Day

An exhibit featuring Hawaiʻi panels from the National AIDS Memorial Quilt will debut on Sunday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibit will be a key component of this year’s World AIDS Day Ceremony. The quilt panels will be on display throughout the month of December. It is the first time in two decades that so many panels will be displayed publicly in Honolulu. 

“We are excited to mark this year’s World AIDS Day at Capitol Modern with the opening of an exhibit where people can learn more about the history of HIV/AIDS through the end of the year, including our state’s response to the health crisis,” said Andrew Ogata, Marketing and Development Director at Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center and chairperson of the World AIDS Day Hawai’i steering committee.

“Having these quilt panels on public display provides an opportunity for our community to reflect on those who were lost at a time when there was pervasive fear and social stigma against gay men.

Fortunately, Hawaiʻi took an approach to HIV and AIDS that was grounded in public health,” said Tom Sheeran, who has been living with HIV for almost four decades. Sheeran previously served as the longtime chair of the World AIDS Day Hawaiʻi steering committee.

“These panels also serve as an urgent call for our community to demand that the federal government prioritize the elimination of HIV,” he added. In 2019 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiated the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. plan, which has expanded access to HIV care, treatment, medication, and support services.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health will present this year’s Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award to Dr. Brian Chin of the Maui AIDS Foundation. The award, established in 2004 in honor of the late director of the state’s Seropositivity and Medical Management program, recognizes outstanding contributions in providing HIV/AIDS services. The event will also feature entertainment and remarks from policymakers, including state Rep. Adrian Tam, co-chair of the legislature’s Equality Caucus, and a representative of from Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s office.

World AIDS Day was established in 1988 as the first global health day “to show support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have died from an AIDS-related illness.” There are currently over 2,200 people living with HIV in Hawaiʻi, according to the latest available HIV/AIDS surveillance report.

HHHRC currently provides medical case management services to over 700 people living with HIV on Oʻahu. “If you are living with HIV, sustained medical care and treatment can suppress your viral load to almost zero and help ensure that you are able to stay healthy and not pass the virus on to others,” said HHHRC Clinical Services Director Nandi Ishikawa.

HHHRC also offers syringe access services on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island. State-funded syringe access has successfully prevented the spread of HIV among persons who inject drugs and their intimate partners for over three decades, according to organizers.

Organizers say an important tool to curb the spread of HIV is pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily medication that prevents the transmission of HIV to persons who don’t have HIV but are at risk of contracting the virus through sex or injection drug use. No-cost HIV testing and access to PrEP are available on an appointment basis at HHHRC’s Kakaʻako office.

HHHRC provides HIV prevention and sexual health education to various groups and organizations. Among the offerings of HHHRC’s Training Institute are “HIV, Hepatitis C, & STD 101,” “Harm Reduction 101,” “LGB Cultural Competency,” and “Transgender Cultural Humility.”