Director's Message January 12, 2024

After the parade, there will be a festival at Kapiolani Park, and VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) will have a booth with Member Services, Minority Veteran Services, and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Veterans are encouraged to come speak with VAPIHCS employees about question they have, or to enroll in VA care.

VAPIHCS will also have a Community Call event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on January 27, 2024, and January 28, 2024, in Agana Shopping Center at 302 South Route 4, in the Rectangle Court & Room 223 (2nd Floor) in Hagåtña, GU 96910. The event will feature PACT Act registration, vaccines, blood pressure checks, health screenings, diabetic foot checks, and benefits assistance. If you have any questions, please call our new toll-free number for Veterans in Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, and the Philippines: 1-800-698-2411. We look forward to seeing you there.

Get Vaccinated! 

As of the start of this year, the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) has vaccinated 11,069 Veterans with the seasonal influenza vaccines. Influenza activity is elevated and continues to increase in most parts of the country, increasing the number of weekly flu hospitalizations. Some people feel that it’s not important to be vaccinated, but I want to assure you that vaccinated people are less likely to get sick and have better outcomes when they do contract an illness. Make your appointment today by calling 1-800-214-1306. You can also ask about getting your Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine and your COVID-19 vaccine or booster. It’s very important to me that all our Veterans stay safe and healthy, and being vaccinated is a big step towards maintaining your health.

Neurofeedback Study

VAPIHCS has an ongoing research project in neurofeedback, which is a type of therapy that 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, and it 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.

All About GeroFit

At VAPIHCS, we want to do everything we can to support your quest for good health. One of the programs we have to help you stay active is called GeroFit, and it is targeted specifically at older Veterans. At each stage of life, people have different fitness needs. The Gerofit program is tailored to the needs and goals of Veterans who are 65 and older. Like Recreation Therapy, Veterans need to ask their VAPIHCS primary care doctor for a referral to the Gerofit program. After that, they will go through an evaluation and Physical Function Testing to determine eligibility and appropriateness for participation in the program. For Veterans who qualify, it’s a great way to stay active.

Gerofit is a regular workout program that focuses on essential exercises to assist Veterans in aging without losing function, just like the Move program is for younger Veterans. I hope you will also choose to do one of the virtual Tai Chi programs or any of our other Whole Health offerings.  VAPIHCS is working to support you and help you achieve your goals. If you are a Veteran who would like to join any of our programs to help you stay active, call 1-800-214-1306.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

A father once told his son a riddle. The father said to his son, “there were five frogs sitting on a log, but four of them decided to leap off the log, how many frogs were left?” The little boy answered, “One frog was left, dad.” The father replied, “good try my son, but actually five frogs were left sitting on that log.” At this point, his son was puzzled. The father then reminded his son, “I asked how many frogs decided to leap off the log, not how many frogs actually did.”

The little boy learned a valuable lesson: it’s one thing to desire to do something, but it’s another to actually do it.

Many of us have dreams and ideas of how we can take our service to new levels. But as noble as these ideas might be, we may find a gap between our plans, and what do about them. Often, a great way to bridge that gap is to “just do it.”

But when it comes to actually executing our goals, there’s one factor that might seek to stop us in our tracks: waiting for more motivation. Waiting for the energizing feeling of motivation to come before leaping forward may prove elusive. Dr. Jerome Bruner of Harvard University once made a good observation: “You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action.” He observed that motivation grew because he started, not always before he started.  Moving forward was key. 

Moving forward can create its own form of momentum. As we see the fruit of our daily progress, we’ll be more motivated to keep moving in the right direction. We may not arrive at our destination in one day, but as John Maxwell once said, we can change our direction, today.

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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