Director's Message February 23, 2024
VAPIHCS Veterans, VAPIHCS has an ongoing research project in neurofeedback, a type of therapy, which has the potential to help Veterans with a mild Traumatic Brain Injury overcome issues like headaches, insomnia, and attention difficulties.
Veterans receive $27 per visit for 20 visits, which involves sitting in a chair and viewing images while being monitored by a researcher. Each visit takes about an hour, and the goal is that each Veteran will leave feeling better than when they came in. Veterans will also be paid for their initial assessment, and periodic assessments throughout. To learn more, contact our research team by phone: (808) 433-3316.
Upcoming Events
VAPIHCS is making community outreach a priority, and we have several events coming up. Our next event in American Samoa will be a Community Call from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on February 23 and 24, 2024, at the Samoa Memorial Monument Center, Tafuna Western District. We will offer health Screenings, vaccines, PACT Act Registration, enrollment, and many other health services at this event. We hope to see you there!
In March we will have two events to bring outreach closer to you. The first will be at the Molokai Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 9, 2024, at Kiowe’a Park Coconut Grove. VAPIHCS will have a booth offering health screenings, vaccines, PACT Act registration, and enrollment services. Next, we will hold a Kauai Community Call from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 27 and 28, 2024. This event will be held at the Kauai Veteran’s Center 3215 Kapule Hwy, Lihue, HI 96766. We will have health screenings, vaccines, PACT Act registration, enrollment, and other health services. Mark your calendars now to make sure you don’t miss out on your chance to talk with VA employees in your community. To learn more, please call 1-800-214-1306.
Whole Health: Heart Health
February is Heart Health Month! Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. It contributes to 1 in 3 deaths of women every year. The good news is that heart issues may be prevented with education and healthy lifestyle changes. Visit https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm to learn more and join VAPIHCS in honoring Heart Health by getting out and moving. VA can also help improve heart health with our well-being programs. Visit this website for more information: https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/veteran-resources/Well-Being-Programs.asp.
Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles
Wilma Rudolph, once considered the fastest woman on earth at the 1960 Rome Olympics, stunned the world when she became the first American woman in history to win three gold medals in a single Olympic competition. But it’s her journey off the track that makes her accomplishments even more legendary.
Born prematurely on June 23, 1940, her life would be an uphill climb from the very beginning. Weighing only 4.5 pounds at birth and born into poverty as the 20th of her father’s 22 children, she endured much hardship from an early age. She suffered from double pneumonia with scarlet fever, and was diagnosed with polio, a condition which, though she survived, left her with paralysis. She lost the use of her left leg and was fitted for metal leg braces at the age of six. Wilma was told that she would never walk again, and much of her childhood was spent in bed.
But her mother encouraged her and instilled within her the belief that she could do anything she wanted. A determined child, Wilma once said, “I want to be the fastest woman on the track on this earth.” After years of treatment and rehabilitation, Wilma Rudolf was able to remove the leg brace at the age of nine. And gradually, little by little, she would evolve into a formidable athlete.
By 1960, the little girl who at one point, could not walk, now represented her country as one of the most elite runners on the planet. At the Olympics in Rome, Wilma Rudolph won the 100-meter, 200-meter, and anchored the U.S. team to victory in the 4x100-meter relay, all while breaking records along the way.
It’s amazing what encouragement from others and persistence can accomplish. Wilma Rudolph was able to triumph in the very area of her life that once had the least hope. Let’s allow Wilma’s example to spur us on to persist through the obstacles that trouble our path.
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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