Director's Message April 18, 2025
VAPIHCS Veterans, This week I’ve been thinking about the value of community. Last week we held our monthly Ohana Open Market event.
The outpouring of support from the community came in the form of volunteers from organizations such as the Ewa Beach Rotary Club and the Red Cross, sponsorship of our “Coffee and Conversations” event from Grand Canyon University (GCU), and booths set up by many community partners to educate Veterans on services and programs that they offer. The donation of food, time, and services to make these events successful is heartwarming. We are proud to serve the communities in the Pacific Islands, and we are grateful for all of your support.
New ATLAS Site in Guam
At VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS), providing top-quality care has always been a priority. It’s also important to deliver that care as close as possible to where our Veterans live. On April 11, 2025, VAPIHCS opened a new Accessing Telehealth Through Local Area Stations (ATLAS) site inside the Inalåhan Mayor’s Office, which will help provide care closer to home for Veterans in the southern part of Guam.
Guam has a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) as well as a partnership with Naval Hospital Guam and a robust Care in the Community (CITC) network to provide health care services to Veterans in Guam and Saipan. Additionally, the Guam CBOC Annex is under construction now in Dededo at Guam Regional Medical City (GRMC), expanding access and clinical space for our Veterans. VAPIHCS has been focused on advocating for Guam Veterans and adding services on the island, and the first ATLAS booth in the Inalåhan Mayor’s Office is an important step in that expansion of care and services. Primary care and specialty care providers such as rehabilitative services, pharmacy, podiatry, gastroenterology, dermatology, and nephrology are accessible to Veterans via telehealth at this new ATLAS site.
VAPIHCS has five other telehealth sites in the Marianas Islands. They are located on the island of Rota, Tinian, and Saipan, which make up the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI). Thank you to the VAPIHCS Telehealth Program Manager Omayra Brabham and her team for their hard work and tireless devotion to increasing Veterans’ access to care through telehealth.
Location of New Guam ATLAS Site:
• 719 San Jose Avenue, Inalåhan GU 96917. Contact Janella Cruz at janella.cruz@va.gov or (671) 475-5760.
List of ATLAS sites in CNMI:
• Kagman (Tinian) Community Health Center – Sharon Sievers Sharon.seivers@kagmanchc.org (670) 433-4750/2
• Rota Health Center – Rica Mendiola rica.mendiola@chcc.health (670) 532-9461/62
• Kagman Isla Community Health – Norma Borja norma.borja@kagmanchc.org (670) 287-5242
• Tinian Isla Community Health – Sydney Biton Sydney.biton@chcc.health (670) 433-9233 and (670) 433-9263
• Saipan Community Guidance Center – Tyra Santos Tyra.Santos@chcc.health Jesse Aguon jesse.aguon@chcc.health (670) 323-6560 and (670) 323-6561
Flag Day in American Samoa
On April 17, 2025, American Samoa celebrated Flag Day, celebrated as the anniversary of the first time that the United States flag was raised in American Samoa. For the islands of American Samoa, this is a big holiday with parades, food, and celebrations. I would like to take this opportunity to wish a happy flag day to all our Samoan Veterans!
Whole Health: Laughter Heals
April is Whole Health month. Whole health is a culture shift within VA which seeks to ask each Veteran what matters most to them. As part of the celebration of whole health, we’re sharing information on different ways to stay healthier and happier. One featured topic this month is the healing power of laughter. When we laugh, it releases endorphins and brightens our mood. Documented health benefits from regular laughter include lower blood pressure, a reduction in stress, and an increase in overall wellbeing. Find out more here: https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/veteran-handouts/index.asp
Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles
One of the silent, almost miraculous scenes of nature occurs in the transformation that an earthbound, crawling caterpillar undergoes in its metamorphosis, transforming from a caterpillar to a fluttering butterfly.
Although the emergence of a butterfly dancing through the air with vibrant wings of colors and grace may captivate our gaze, the transformative process that results in such beauty is far from glamorous.
When a caterpillar reaches its full size, it forms a protective casing known as a chrysalis. Within this hardened shell, something remarkable happens. To transform, the caterpillar begins to digest itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve and rip apart much of its body, liquifying much of itself, leaving only key structures intact. In fact, if you were to cut open the chrysalis at just the right time mid-construction, all one would see is a formless mass of fluid. But the caterpillar’s liquid form in this stage is what allows it to be reconstituted - eyes, wings, antennae are being formed as it molds into something new.
The caterpillar understands that in order to become something better, it must become malleable, that is willing to become molded, willing to change.
Regardless of where we are in our life journey, we all can benefit from learning and growing in new ways. Even our challenges, if we allow them, can become some of our greatest teachers. But continual growth requires flexibility, openness, and humility. The process of facing our limitations and adjusting may not always feel pleasant in the moment, but they are indispensable to emerging into our best selves. Growth may involve loosening our grip on what once felt certain, familiar, and safe, but the caterpillar’s surrender to the change process reveals that the benefit of change outweighs the momentary discomfort of the process of change.
Let’s draw inspiration from the caterpillar today and harness the power that flexibility can have in our growth journey.
One Team, One Ohana!
Thandiwe (Tandi) Nelson-Brooks, MPH, FACHE
Interim Medical Center Director
VA Pacific Islands Health Care System
Stay Informed
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