The Hawai’i State Department of Health has honored Bryan Chin as the recipient of the 2024 Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award, recognizing Chin for outstanding contributions in providing HIV services with competence and compassion.

The award was announced by the department’s Harm Reduction Services Branch, which presented Chin with the award Sunday during annual World AIDS Day.

The award was established in honor of Suzanne Richmond-Crum, who died in 2004 after serving for more than 10 years as director of the Hawai’i Seropositivity and Medical Management Program of the department’s Harm Reduction Services Branch. The award is presented annually to an individual in Hawai’i.

According to the department, Chin is a nurse practitioner who has been with the Maui AIDS Foundation since 2014. Chin began as a medical case manager working with people living with HIV, before pursuing advanced nursing degrees and becoming a clinical provider.

Chin is dedicated to ensuring his patients are well-informed and supported and at ease when dealing with difficult situations. He is described as a relentless advocate for ensuring the Maui County community has access to health care as a driving force behind MAF’s free sexual health, which provides testing and treatment for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and HIV; preventative HIV medical care; and the Bridge Program, which provides rapid entry into HIV care, including individuals without insurance.

The free clinic serves all Maui County residents, with special consideration to the most vulnerable and underserved.

Chin has dedicated 10 years to implementing a patient-centered model of care that is holistic and collaborative in its approach. He is detail oriented and known for putting forth his strongest effort to provide great care.

“I first met Bryan when I was executive director of Maui AIDS Foundation (MAF),” President of the Board of Directors of Maui AIDS Foundation Steven F. Hire said in a statement. “From my first interactions with him I was impressed with his empathy, compassion and commitment to HIV/AIDS. At the time, both Bryan and I were aware that MAF needed a clinic to respond to the needs of our clients and community. Knowing that we were understaffed and underfunded and knowing that I, as executive director, didn’t have the time to get a clinic up and running, Bryan took it upon himself to do the groundwork that made the clinic a reality.”