Quantcast
StarBulletin.com
Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Search

HiLife Online

Give us YOUR Weekly Opinion

Reader Poll

How much will you spend on Christmas presents this year?

Sell your stuff in Hawaii classifieds
Subscribe to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Sheeran honored for fighting HIV

By Helen Altonn

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 30, 2008

(Single Page View) | Return to Paginated View

Tom Sheeran, who is openly gay and HIV positive, will be honored tomorrow by the state Health Department's STD/AIDS Prevention Branch for 20 years of work to support and improve services to Hawaii's HIV/AIDS community.

At a World AIDS Day service from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Clement's Church, 1515 Wilder Ave., Sheeran will receive the fifth annual Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award "for outstanding contribution in providing HIV/AIDS services in Hawaii."

Richmond-Crum was former director of the Hawaii Seropositivity and Medical Management Program, the HIV/AIDS medical care program in the STD/AIDS Prevention Branch. She died in August 2004 after 10 years as HSPAMM director.

Peter Whiticar, branch chief, said Sheeran "has consistently been committed to supporting all aspects of the HIV/AIDS community in Hawaii, from being an advocate for persons with HIV/AIDS to assisting local organizations and agencies with their advocacy efforts."

Nancy Kern, HIV/STD prevention coordinator, said, "This is an excellent opportunity to recognize Tom's commitment and to really show from the community how much we appreciate what he has done over the years."

Sheeran, in an interview, said he's honored to be recognized for what he's done in the past. "But what I'd really like is for people to look ahead at the kind of work that needs to be done."

"We need a cure. People need to have access to care and treatment and while Hawaii is better than most places, even we aren't doing enough."

Sheeran said he's hopeful a new administration in Washington will provide leadership to implement a national AIDS strategy, "which we've never had, and begin to do what we should have done 25 years ago. We don't need platitudes," he added. "We need work and we need leadership."

Sheeran began attending People With AIDS Coalition meetings in 1989 and became a board member in 1995. He became president in 1997 and organized the first and only statewide People With AIDS conference.

He was a community member of the Governor's Committee on HIV/AIDS from 1996 to 2005 and in 1996 became the first openly HIV-positive member of the board of directors of Gregory House Programs, which provides statewide housing services for people with HIV/AIDS.

He was a community member of Hawaii CARES, the statewide HIV/AIDS care planning group from 2000 to 2004 and was co-chairman for two years.

He has been World AIDS Day co-chairman for Oahu since 2003.

He also has lobbied for funding and bills at the Legislature as an advocate for people with HIV/AIDS and has helped to organize HIV-related public service campaigns.

Tom Sheeran, who is openly gay and HIV positive, will be honored tomorrow by the state Health Department's STD/AIDS Prevention Branch for 20 years of work to support and improve services to Hawaii's HIV/AIDS community.

“We need a cure. People need to have access to care and treatment and while Hawaii is better than most places, even we aren’t doing enough.” Tom Sheeran
Longtime AIDS activist

At a World AIDS Day service from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Clement's Church, 1515 Wilder Ave., Sheeran will receive the fifth annual Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award "for outstanding contribution in providing HIV/AIDS services in Hawaii."

Richmond-Crum was former director of the Hawaii Seropositivity and Medical Management Program, the HIV/AIDS medical care program in the STD/AIDS Prevention Branch. She died in August 2004 after 10 years as HSPAMM director.

Peter Whiticar, branch chief, said Sheeran "has consistently been committed to supporting all aspects of the HIV/AIDS community in Hawaii, from being an advocate for persons with HIV/AIDS to assisting local organizations and agencies with their advocacy efforts."

Nancy Kern, HIV/STD prevention coordinator, said, "This is an excellent opportunity to recognize Tom's commitment and to really show from the community how much we appreciate what he has done over the years."

Sheeran, in an interview, said he's honored to be recognized for what he's done in the past. "But what I'd really like is for people to look ahead at the kind of work that needs to be done."

"We need a cure. People need to have access to care and treatment and while Hawaii is better than most places, even we aren't doing enough."

Sheeran said he's hopeful a new administration in Washington will provide leadership to implement a national AIDS strategy, "which we've never had, and begin to do what we should have done 25 years ago. We don't need platitudes," he added. "We need work and we need leadership."

Sheeran began attending People With AIDS Coalition meetings in 1989 and became a board member in 1995. He became president in 1997 and organized the first and only statewide People With AIDS conference.

He was a community member of the Governor's Committee on HIV/AIDS from 1996 to 2005 and in 1996 became the first openly HIV-positive member of the board of directors of Gregory House Programs, which provides statewide housing services for people with HIV/AIDS.

He was a community member of Hawaii CARES, the statewide HIV/AIDS care planning group from 2000 to 2004 and was co-chairman for two years.

He has been World AIDS Day co-chairman for Oahu since 2003.

He also has lobbied for funding and bills at the Legislature as an advocate for people with HIV/AIDS and has helped to organize HIV-related public service campaigns.

(Single Page View) | Return to Paginated View



Story tools

Email  Email   Print  Print   Save  Save   Popular  Most Popular   Reprint  Subscribe

Share this story