Director's Message April 15, 2022
Moloka’i Announcement VA Pacific Islands Health Care System is proud to announce a new partnership to provide outpatient clinical services at the Na Pu'uwai Native Hawaiian Health Care System located at 602 Maunaloa Hwy, Kaunakakai Hawaii 96748.
Effective April 11, 2022, VA Primary Care Provider, Dr. Carlann DeFontes and VA Registered Nurse, Ms. Kawena Puhi will be located at this new facility. The clinic is open 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with face-to-face care on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Please call the VA Call Center at 1-800-214-1306 for an appointment. In addition, Veterans can now take advantage of more than 30 new partners the VA has made with Care In The Community (CITC) on the island.
The VAPIHCS Centralized Call Center is staffed with Advanced Medical Support Assistants, Registered Nurses, and Pharmacists at 1-800-214-1306, and accessible 24 hours every day. They can schedule appointments, assist with questions about health care, and more.
National Health Care Decisions Day
In honor of National Health Care Decisions Day, which is on April 16, 2022, I want to remind everyone how vital it is to have conversations with your family, friends, and your doctor about what health care choices you want made if you are unable to make such decisions for yourself. Talk with your doctor about your wishes regarding organ donation, and work with them to fill out an advanced directive. These are hard conversations but having them will help ensure that your wishes are known and respected in the event of a medical crisis. To make an appointment to discuss these and other medical decisions related to you and your health care, please call 1-800-214-1306.
COVID-19 Fourth Shot
I’d like to remind everyone that right now the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) is offering a COVID-19 fourth shot for all Veterans who meet the criteria. The shot is available to anyone over 50 years of age, or anyone who is considered to be immunocompromised. Remember that staying up to date on your booster shots is the best way to avoid infection from new strains of COVID-19. I encourage everyone who is eligible to call and make an appointment for their fourth shot 1-800-214-1306.
VCC Update
Enterprise Engineering will conduct a combined certificate update on April 18, 2022, at 9:00 PM ET for expiring certificates on Care, Care2, and VC.va.gov. These certificates will expire between April 20, 2022, and May 4, 2022 and must be updated prior to expiration to prevent loss of secure patient care video conference encounters nationally. Due to nature of change and timeframe of implementation, no patient care should be impacted in support of the action. If you have any questions, please contact the OCCHD at 866-651-3180 or via the Portal https://occhdsupport.ironbow.com.
Inspirational Words From Chaplain Charles Richie – as we celebrate Easter, Passover & Ramadan
It’s 1983, and 11 brave athletes line up to embark on a grueling, ultra-marathon, spanning 543.7 miles from Sydney to Melbourne Australia. One man stands out from the group of elite, international athletes. His name was Cliff Young, a 61 year old potato farmer who at first, showed up to the race dressed in overalls and gum boots. He ran in a unique, shuffling style, very much different from the rest of the athletes. The race began, and just like many expected, Cliff Young lagged far behind as the other runners easily took the lead. But although he wasn’t the fastest runner, Cliff Young turned out to be the most persistent. While the other elite runners would stop to sleep during certain intervals of the race, Cliff kept running, stopping to sleep only for very few moments. After the race, this resilient farmer said that what kept himself motivated was that he imagined that a storm was coming, and he was running after sheep to round them up. And at 1:30 am, with 20,000 people watching, Cliff Young crossed the finish line after 5 days, 15 hours, and 4 minutes. Not only did he shatter the world record (by over two days), he was also 9 hours of ahead of his nearest competitor! Thomas Edison once said that “genius is one percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration”. Sometimes how fast one is going doesn’t determine how far one goes. For Cliff Young, although his beginning didn’t seem promising, his ending baffled everyone. Persistence is often the secret ingredient that turns what’s impossible into becoming what’s possible. Whether we have to run (or shuffle) down our race, let’s decide to never give up.
One Team, One Ohana!
Adam M. Robinson, Jr., MD, MBA, CPE
Director, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System
VADM, MC, USN, (RET)
36th Surgeon General, USN
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