Director's Message February 21, 2025

 No matter the challenges we face, our mission is clear: to provide you with the highest quality health care, delivered with compassion, respect, and excellence. We are continuously improving our services, expanding access to care, and embracing innovative solutions to meet your needs both now and in the future.

We offer a wide range of services, including primary and specialty care, mental health support, women’s health services, telehealth options, and assistance with benefits and resources. Whether you need routine care, specialized treatment, or help navigating your benefits, we are here to support you. 

If you need assistance or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Visit our website at https://www.va.gov/pacific-islands-health-care/ or call us at 1 800 214-1306. You can also visit one of our VA facilities, where our dedicated teams are ready to help. We are proud to serve all who served.

Whole Health: Sitting with the Silence

A common spiritual practice in many religions is the act of spending time with silence. This can be accompanied by meditation, performing a task like weaving baskets or stringing rosaries, or even cleaning a temple. Why do so many religions encourage sitting in silence? Amazingly enough, this practice was considered important even before the invention of television, radio, internet, cell phones, and other modern distractions. It was believed that only in silence would your mind reveal your deepest fears, desires, and thoughts for you to look on and reflect. If sitting in silence was important hundreds of years ago, imagine how important it is now!

As part of your path to personal development, how can you spend some time sitting with silence? Let your mind reveal to you what is most important so you can better reflect on how to find your joy! Learn more at: https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/circle-of-health/personal-development.asp.

Staying Healthy With VA

VAPIHCS has several programs that aim to keep Veterans active. At each stage of life, people have different fitness needs. One of our programs - called GeroFit - is targeted specifically to older Veterans. We also offer the Move program, designed is for younger Veterans. Many VA programs, like Recreation Therapy, are great for Veterans of any age. VAPIHCS has new Tai Chi classes as well, and staff can help Veterans train for the annual Koa Challenge and the National Veterans Golden Aged Games. Keep your heart healthy and stay fit with VAPIHCS!

Upcoming Events

On February 27, 2025, VAPIHCS will hold a Recreation Therapy and Creative Arts Therapy Fair from 10 am to 12 pm, at the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic at 91-1051 Franklin D. Roosevelt Avenue, Kapolei HI 96707. The event will be an opportunity for Veterans to come and learn more about the recreation and creative arts services and programs that we offer. For questions, call Recreation Therapist Micah Monzon at 808-458-5065.

On March 6, 2025, VAPIHCS will have a Gastrointestinal (GI) Wellness Fair from 8 am to 1pm at the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic at 91-1051 Franklin D. Roosevelt Avenue, Kapolei HI 96707. The event will be an opportunity for Veterans to come and learn more about GI wellness. For questions, contact Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Manager Jenelle Duldulao: 808-433-0831. 

Finally, on March 6-7, 2025, VAPIHCS will hold a PACT Act Community Call from 8am to 1pm, at 3215 Kauai Veterans Memorial Hwy Ste H, Lihue, HI 96766. The event will have member service representatives ready to enroll Veterans who have never enrolled or those who have become newly eligible under the PACT Act. Veteran who are seeking to enroll in VA health care for the first time are encouraged to bring a copy of their DD214. Veterans who are already enrolled may also come for health services such as diabetic foot checks, vaccines, and blood pressure checks. All Veterans can come with health benefits questions. For questions, contact Outreach Coordinator Maurice Martin: maurice.martin@va.gov. 

Deadline for Koa Challenge Registration

VAPIHCS has hosted the Koa Challenge Veteran Games for two years, and we are preparing for year three! These games give Veterans in our recreation therapy program the opportunity to showcase their skills, and a chance to how far they have come recovering from injuries and other struggles with the help of VAPIHCS staff. All Veterans in the recreation therapy program are eligible to enroll in the 2025 Koa Challenge by contacting Lisa.Miller2@gov or elise.petties@va.gov or by calling 808-433-0240. The deadline to enroll is February 28, 2025. Veterans who are not enrolled in the recreation therapy program can request a referral from their primary care team if interested.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear’s name rings in the annuls of history for overcoming overwhelming odds on his journey to becoming a U.S. Naval Master Diver. He trained in a specialized suit at depths of 600 feet – 1,000 feet underwater. At these depths, the water pressure would reach up to about 440 psi, which is over 30 times the atmospheric pressure on land!

But just as deep-sea divers rely on specialized suits to withstand the immense pressures of the ocean, it is equally important that we maintain a healthy, personal atmosphere of our own. Survival under water without specialized equipment would only lead to suffocation. But a diver’s suit allows them to take the breathable air of earth with them, regardless of how deep they’re submerged. Although submerged under the waters below, divers are able to survive and function by breathing the air that comes from above.

While we may not be submerged under water ourselves, there can be times in our lives where we can feel just as much under pressure. The weight of life can at times be heavy. And we can feel just as powerless to change the atmosphere of all that is around us, as is a diver surrounded by the intimidating depths of the ocean. Fortunately, however, divers have learned to navigate the aquatic underworld with suits that maintain their own, personal atmosphere.

We cannot completely control what happens around us; however, fortunately, we have greater control over what happens within us. Daily, in our own personal atmosphere, we can be intentional about “breathing in” gratitude and noble thoughts. We can nurture our spiritual well-being and maintain relationships that uplift and nourish our souls. And just as divers routinely check their suits for structural integrity to ensure no water can seep in, we too should monitor what we allow into our lives—whether it’s negative influences or damaging thoughts.

By doing so, we can safeguard our mental and emotional well-being. We take these steps not to escape reality, but to better engage with it—equipped to face life with focus, strength, and peace of mind.

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

Stay Informed
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