Director's Message August 30, 2024

 Getting your flu shot is a great way to protect against getting the flu, and to reduce your symptoms if you do get sick. The flu virus causes hospitalizations and deaths every year, and being vaccinated helps protect you, your ohana, and your community. Please call 1-800-214-1306 to make an appointment to get your flu vaccine today! 

If you are on Oahu, our Spark Matsunaga Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) will have a room set up just for Veterans to walk in and get vaccinated. This will be available on the first floor, room 1-C04, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. HST, Monday through Friday. We will also be announcing several vaccination events which will be posted on our website. 

For Veterans who make the choice to get vaccinated in the community, please call our vaccination update line at 808-433-4979 and leave a message stating your name, the last four digits of your social security number, the date that you were vaccinated, and the location. Our staff will then document your vaccine into your health record. Remember to wear a mask this flu season if you are immunocompromised, or if you have symptoms of COVID-19, flu, or other illnesses. Let’s have a safe and healthy flu season!

Enroll Now at the New Kona Clinic

We are accepting patients at our new Kona Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), which is located at 73-5618 Maiau St, Kailua Kona, HI 96740 (just one block from Costco). The clinic features expanded services, including:
•Primary Care

• Women's Health

• Mental Health

• Specialty Care (Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology, Podiatry, and more). 

• Audiology 

• On-site Lab

• Clinical Pharmacist for disease management education

• Vaccines 

Come see the future of health care for our Kona Veterans! For additional information on VA health care and services, call 1-800-214-1306.

Thoughts from Chaplain Jewel Davis – “Straight Dotted Curved”

There's something about race car driving that is an undeniable adrenaline rush. Whether it is the thrill of going fast or the test of precision, without a doubt, race car drivers are permitted to far exceed speed limits. And because they move so fast, the rate at which the drivers turn sharp curves, maintain control of their vehicles, and accelerate down straightaways, is absolutely astounding. Moreover, the drivers do not have individually assigned lanes. Instead, racetracks’ borders form a single lane that all the drivers use to circuit the course. And as for painted lines to give the drivers some direction, there are none. Rubber residue on well-used tracks guide them to the finish line.

But unlike automobile racing, where the engine provides the driving force, running a foot race requires the runners’ energy, stamina, and perseverance. And as with any race, someone will be ahead, someone will be trailing, and everyone will be in pursuit of the same destination, which is to finish what was started. However, they may not necessarily have the same goal. To illustrate, and for the sake of analogy, a running track has lines and clearly delineated lanes for each runner, and each runner has a particular goal in mind. One runner’s goal might be to increase self-confidence while another’s to risk trying something new. The finish line appears in the distance, and the runners may not get there at the same time, which is perfectly okay because in this context, the emphasis is not on the competition, or the speed, or the order in which either runner gets to the line. The emphasis is on just finishing. The course has straight lines for smooth, easy transition. It has dotted lines to indicate pauses along the way. And it has curves for places when time and distance can be reduced. So, for this race, the comment to “stay in one's lane” serves as an encouragement to stay the course, to not give up, and to go all the way to the finish.

I close with these words of encouragement from Ralph Marston, “Start strong, stay strong, and finish strong by always remembering why you’re doing it in the first place.” Blessings and Mahalo.

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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