During these extraordinary and unsettling times, we struggle to find the words to express our outrage, despair, and sadness. We are watching lives and generations being lost, and Black Lives Matter.

The mission of the Harm Reduction Services Branch is to empower people in Hawai‘i to make responsible health decisions for themselves and others by:

• Providing statewide leadership and coordination for the prevention, treatment, care and surveillance of infections transmitted primarily through sexual contact or injection drug use; and
• Assuring the accessibility and delivery of client-centered, non-judgmental, and comprehensive services with the spirit of aloha and respect.

In alignment with our mission and the statements of our partners at the Hawaii Commission on the Status of Women, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the American Public Health Association, we condemn racism and racist action and recognize it as an important and ongoing public health issue. We stand in solidarity with our black ‘ohana because we know that all of our efforts to eliminate HIV, hepatitis, and STIs–including drug user health, immigrant rights, LGBTQ equity, uplifting Native Hawaiian voices–are inseparable from the struggle to eliminate racism and inequities.

Together, let us listen to our black allies, engage with our communities, and take a stand against racism and in favor of health. We are committed to working with our communities to overcome racism and inequalities in all forms. Racism is not a harm that we can merely reduce, but must eliminate.

» Download PDF file of the above statement