Director's Message December 9, 2022

The way I see it, dying is a part of living.  But it does not mean the end – it is only a transition.

We recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of our CLC. So much has happened in the past 25 years, and I’ve been reflecting- thinking about the core reason that we do what we do at VAPIHCS and health care facilities around the nation.

Abraham Lincoln, in his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865, gave the VA its mission: “To care for him The men who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.”

I’ve been involved in caring for our men and women who have worn the cloth of our nation and now our veterans, since my first days as a Navy Medical Officer. That is 45 years ago.

To our staff: thank you for taking the mantle of trust given us by our nation to care for our veterans. You do this with professionalism and competency, but also with compassion and love. Why?  Because these men and woman made the sacrifice to give us our freedom and liberty.  Our way of life is ensured by their sacrifices.

Now, our duty is to provide our Pacific Islands Veterans with safe, compassionate, quality care until their last breath. When a Veteran dies at our VA Community Living Center, we all feel the loss.

Although I have been caring for our service members and Veterans my whole career, for over four decades— as a medical student, resident, fellow, attending physician and the Navy’s 36th Surgeon General, and now as the VAPIHCS medical center director — our Final Salute ceremonies are both beautiful and heart-wrenching.

For me, I am reminded of how lucky we are that we get to care for these men and women, who all too often are forgotten. Rituals and ceremonies are important links to the past, and they are reminders of what it takes to improve tomorrow.

All of us at VAPIHCS — the men and women who have the privilege to care for America’s heroes in VA health care facilities around the country — are honored to provide the health care veterans deserve from the moment they leave the service to the time of their Final Salute. 

I share my condolences and my heartfelt thanks to the families and the staff who cared for those to whom we give our Final Salute. We are forever grateful for their service and sacrifice. We are always honored to serve our veterans. That is our duty to those who have given so much.

Ke’ehi Lagoon PACT Act Event

The PACT Act is a historic new law that will help VA deliver care and benefits to millions of Veterans and survivors, affected by burn pits and other toxic exposures. VAPIHCS will hold a PACT Act enrollment event at Ke’ehi Lagoon Memorial Park on December 17, 2022. The event will be from 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 2685 N. Nimitz Highway in Honolulu. This event is not just for people who are already enrolled with the Veterans Administration. Many veterans who were not previously eligible for care will be eligible now under the PACT Act if they have any service history of toxic exposure. Anyone who would like to speak with a representative about possible eligibility should come to the event.

In addition to PACT Act enrollment, other services will be available. Vaccines, blood pressure checks, health screenings, and diabetic foot checks will all be offered. Additionally, people who have questions can come speak to a benefits advisor. For more information, please call 1-800-214-1306.

Alleged Racial Disparities in VA Benefits Decisions

Secretary McDonough has made clear that delivering world-class, timely, equitable care and benefits to all veterans is our top priority at VA. Throughout history, there have been unacceptable disparities in both VA benefits decisions and military discharge status due to racism, which have wrongly left Black, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, and other Minority Veterans without access to VA care and benefits. VA is actively working to right these wrongs and will stop at nothing to ensure that all Veterans of Color get the VA services they have earned and deserve.

VA is currently studying racial disparities in benefits claims decisions and will publish the results of that study as soon as they are available – but VA is not waiting on the results of the study to act. VA’s Center for Minority Veterans has begun to participate in Veteran Experience Action Centers across the country, providing feedback. VA is also taking steps to ensure that our claims process combats institutional racism, rather than perpetuating it; re-evaluating our policies to equitably serve veterans who were wrongly given Other Than Honorable discharges; and proactively reaching out to veterans with Other Than Honorable discharges to make sure they know that they may be able to access VA benefits and health care.

With that in mind, remember that this is just VA’s actions at a national level. On a local level within VAPIHCS, I want to hear from you. If any of my staff or any Veterans feel that there is a racial disparity in our care, that’s something I want to hear about immediately. If you think you have an idea for how to do things better, I want to hear about that too. Take the surveys that we send out after your appointments. You know the saying: “If you see something, say something.” Don’t just walk away from a problem or an issue; make VAPIHCS aware of it and give us the chance to make it right.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I don’t want anyone to feel unwelcome here. I want every veteran who walks through our doors to feel like they belong, and like we treat them with dignity and respect. Women Veterans, LGBTQIA+ Veterans, veterans struggling with mental illness, Veterans of Color; everyone is welcome in our clinics! This isn’t something I feel we can compromise on, and I am committed to ensuring that every veteran in the Pacific Islands can get the same quality of care.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

There’s a story of a woman who went out for a workout when she noticed another person walking a few feet ahead of her, but at a slower pace than she was. She made it her goal to do whatever it took to pass the other individual. After passing him, she celebrated internally, feeling happy.

But afterward, she reflected that while she was celebrating passing the other walker, the other person had no idea that she had made him the object of her race. She then realized that in competing against the other walker, she missed the turn that led to her house. Her initial plan was to go for a walk and return home, but focusing on outdoing another walker, she lost sight of the beauty of the neighborhood and the greenery surrounding her. She lost the joy of the simple workout and ended up somewhere she did not initially intend to be. 

She ended up in a race never meant to be part of her journey.

It’s often easy to fall into the trap of measuring our progress against the accomplishments of others. We can find ourselves competing and seeking to outdo others who were never meant to be our competition in the first place.

We all have different life callings, purposes, roles, and areas of interest. Our unique wiring allows us to excel in different areas and different ways, making comparisons unwise. There will always be someone we perceive to be “ahead” of us in the race of life. But when we spend time seeking to compare ourselves against others, we can risk losing sight of our uniqueness, and the purpose of our particular path.

Let’s embrace the unique ways that you can be a contribution to the needs of others and enjoy running your own race.

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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