Director's Message January 6, 2023

For example, the MOVE program can be very helpful to veterans who are looking for a way to get motivated about exercise. VA also offers tobacco cessation programs for those who want to quit smoking or vaping. VA even has services like Acupuncture for those with chronic pain and other issues. Talk to your doctor about our Whole Health program to find out more about what VAPIHCS can do to support your goals for better health in the new year. To make an appointment or to ask about our programs, please call 1-800-214-1306.

I’d also like to aske everyone to remember that mental health is part of being healthy. You can hit the gym and prepare healthy meals to nourish your body, but it’s also important to take time to nourish your mind. Whether you’d like to take up yoga and meditation, or start seeing a mental health professional for therapy, VAPIHCS wants to ensure that your mental health is cared for. Next time you talk to your doctor, ask them about ways that you can improve your mental and spiritual health through programs at VA.

It is my hope that everyone had joyful and restful holidays. Now that they are over, it’s time to look forward, towards what is to come. Construction continues on the Daniel K. Akaka Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) on the Leeward side of the island. We are also expanding services at the Windward CBOC, which opened in December 2022. We have also opened Accessing Telehealth Through Local Area Stations (ATLAS) booths in Hilo, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Soon, two more ATLAS booths will come online in Guam. This year and every year, VAPIHCS will work to expand services, and to bring those services to Veterans as close to where they live as possible.

PACT Act Enrollment

VAPIHCS continues to make PACT Act enrollment a priority in the new year.  Last year, successful Community Call events were held in Guam, American Samoa, and in Hawaii to enroll Veterans who are newly eligible under the PACT Act. However, there may still be Veterans that we haven’t reached. We will continue to hold outreach events, but we’d also like to ask for your help. Do you know a Veteran who isn’t enrolled with VA? Send them our way! There have been many changes in eligibility criteria, and people who were not eligible in the past may be eligible now. Encourage the Veterans you know to come and speak with someone and see what benefits they may qualify for. Let’s work together as a community to make sure that no one misses their chance to get covered by VA.  On January 14, 2023, there will be a PACT Act Benefits workshop where VA Benefits counselors will be available to share information and resources, and we’ll also offer PACT act registration, vaccines, and health screenings will be provided from 0900 - 1200 at the Oahu Veterans Center, 1298 Kukila, Honolulu, HI 96818.

Get Vaccinated!

As you start fresh in 2023, we’d like you to consider getting vaccinated. Elderly Veterans are at a higher risk of hospitalization or even death from viruses that are spreading in the community. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the flu, and COVID-19 are still going around. Getting vaccinated greatly reduces your risk of becoming ill. If you do become ill, it reduces the risk of hospitalization and death. So please, get your vaccines!

Additionally, it may be time for you to get other vaccinations. At your next appointment, you may want to talk to your doctor about getting vaccinated for Shingles, Hep C, Tetanus, or Monkeypox. Your doctor can help determine your risk factors, and decide if you need to get these vaccines, or if you need to update vaccines that you have received in the past.

Staying up to date with your vaccines can help prevent a variety of serious illnesses. This is just one of the many ways that you can help yourself to stay healthy in the new year!

Thoughts From Chaplain Richie Charles

Our English word “January” is actually named after a figure in Roman mythology named Janus. Pictures of Janus’ statue often depict him having two heads, with one often facing forward, the other backward. Janus was associated with transitions, going from one period and stepping into a new one. Coming into January, it can feel as though we are in a period of transition, looking back in reflection at the prior year while simultaneously stepping into something new. For many, stepping into something new includes making improvements in the various dimensions of our lives, and striving towards new goals for the new year.

But if we’re honest, it’s easy to envision that the only kinds of improvements that are worthwhile are the large, obvious, and dramatic leaps forward. But that can lead us to overlook the subtle, and sometimes more consequential power that small, but consistent incremental improvements can have in our lives. James Clear, NY times best-selling author of the book Atomic Habits, illustrated how small acts done consistently can compound into great results over time.

He calculated that if a plane leaving the LAX airport in Los Angeles for NYC was to turn its heading just 3.5 degrees south before takeoff, the plane would end up landing in Washington, D.C. rather than New York. With the nose of the plane just moving a few feet before takeoff, the plane would end up landing hundreds of miles away from its intended destination. A small shift in direction would end up magnified after flying thousands of miles across the country.

Small progress can feel insignificant in the moment, but its real impact is best seen in retrospect, over time. Let’s be encouraged to harness the power that compounding can have in our experience this year and take those small, but consistent steps in the direction of our goals.

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