Director's Message January 19, 2024

I was honored with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, January 13, 2024. I am grateful to all of you in Hawaii who have supported me. I am also grateful to my Navy shipmates, my wife and family, and my mentors and teachers who all share in my successes and accomplishments. I am also honored to be the Director of the VAPIHCS, and to work alongside all of the men and women who have dedicated themselves to supporting and honoring our Veterans.

It was also my privilege to be involved as the Grand Marshal for the 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. parade in Waikiki on Monday. Thank you to the NAACP organizers, and all who attended. The Unity Festival after the parade was a celebration of our heritage and freedoms, and I thank our VAPIHCS employees who hosted a booth, inviting Veterans to enroll and learn more about our programs. A special mahalo to:

• Amy Rohlfs, Henry Villarreal, Maurice Martin, and Jenifer Delemont, my Public Affairs Team
• Vanneca Phelps, VAPIHCS EEO and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program Manager
• Jennifer Ayala and Vanda Rivera, with Enrollment and Member Services
• Davis Bussard, Supply Chain Management
• Vincent Johnson, Minority Veterans Program Coordinator

Outreach is a valuable tool to bring Veterans to VAPIHCS, and I’m thankful to have so many dedicated employees who came out to inform and educate Veterans about VA services and programs.

Community Call in Guam

VAPIHCS will have a Community Call event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on January 27 and 28, 2024, held in the 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.

Healthy Sleep

Women’s health topic of the month is healthy sleep, and I want to remind Veterans that most sleep issues are treatable. VA has sleep resources and services available to help. Common sleep issues include Insomnia, which is a disorder in which Veterans have trouble falling asleep or getting quality sleep. It’s the most common sleep issue for all women, with around one in four U.S. women Veterans experiencing insomnia. If you are a Veteran with sleep issues, please call: 1-800-214-1306 and make an appointment to come in and speak to a doctor about it. These conditions are treatable, so there is no reason to suffer needlessly.

New Year, New You

Ring in the new year resolved to Live Whole Health for your best life! VA’s Whole Health approach revolves around what matters most to you. Whole Health goes beyond illness, injuries, or disabilities, and focuses on your values and aspirations to plan for your health and well-being. Whole Health empowers you to take charge of your health so you can live your life to the fullest. Learn more here: https://youtu.be/fgNzmQBGehU

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

The unfolding of a flower bud provides a beautiful analogy for appreciating each day at a time. Consider the stages that a flower goes through – from a tightly closed bud, to its full blossoming. Each step in this process holds its own charm and significance and can offer a profound lesson on journeying the path of life. If there’s anything uncertain, it is the journey of life. Although our lives unfold gradually, there’s always the temptation to rush ahead, worry, and excessively concern ourselves with what’s coming tomorrow. While forethought and planning ahead is always wise, when one is consumed with the potential worries of tomorrow, it can detract from fully embracing life today.

Tomorrow will undoubtedly bring its own mixture of potentialities and uncertainties, but investing excessive energy into worrying about the unknown future can leave one less prepared to handle the challenges that are present today. Like the flower blossoming from a closed bud to the blossoming of its petals, one by one, life unfolds at its own pace – and it’s wise to be present in each one of them.

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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