Harry Simpson

Age: 50 Residence: Oak Park
Occupation: Outgoing executive director, Community Health Awareness Group
Why honored: For battling HIV, AIDS among the poor

“His contributions are beyond words. He’s really influenced the way people view the forgotten African Americans — the people that have been overlooked and the people who have been most impacted by the HIV epidemic in Detroit.” -- Christina Fluker, a clinical supervisor for the Health Awareness Group

He’s put up a good fight against a tough, ugly disease

arry Simpson has seen the many faces of HIV and AIDS. Some of them belong to fresh-faced youngsters, and others are weathered from years of drug use and life on the streets.

    While much of the fight against the disease goes on inside sterile clinics, Simpson has conducted his own battle on Detroit’s streets.

    As executive director of the Community Health Awareness Group on the city’s east side, Simpson has walked in some of Detroit’s toughest neighborhoods, handing out clean syringes and condoms to HIV-infected prostitutes and other addicts.

    The Health Awareness Group, one of the largest minority-operated HIV services agency in the nation, was established in 1985. Under Simpson’s direction it has grown from a staff of six in 1994 to the current level of 30.

    “His contributions are beyond words,” says Christina Fluker, a clinical supervisor for the Health Awareness Group. “He’s really influenced the way people view the forgotten African Americans — the people that have been overlooked and the people who have been most impacted by the HIV epidemic in Detroit.”

    African Americans are 10 times more likely to contract HIV than whites, according to national figures.

    “Our ability to stem this epidemic begins with people knowing their HIV status,” says Simpson, a native of Detroit.

    “Our agency has had the opportunity to provide all kinds of treatment for people living with HIV. Much of the staff are people living with HIV. They came to the agency for services and were provided with growth. They are now part of our ability to go out and save other people’s lives.”

    In addition to passing out condoms and clean syringes, the Health Awareness Group has made other moves, including getting local churches involved in its HIV and AIDS prevention campaign.

    But the biggest problem remains the large number of individuals who fail to get tested.

    “There are lots and lots of people out there who are HIV-infected and they don’t know it because they haven’t been tested,” Simpson says. “If you are African American and you don’t know your HIV status, then you’re part of the problem.”

    Simpson is nationally recognized for his work with African-American intravenous drug users and is the founder of the Life Points Harm Reduction Outreach program, the first licensed syringe exchange program in Michigan.

    Simpson is taking his battle against AIDS and HIV to the national level. In March, he accepted a position as associate manager for community relations for Agouron Pharmaceuticals of San Diego, Calif. He will be based in the Washington, D.C., area.

    — Oralandar Brand-Williams