Director's Message June 2, 2023

The Central Pacific hurricane season forecast came out on May 25, 2023, and NOAA predicts a near or above normal 2023 Central Pacific hurricane season. VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) provides several useful tools to help you prepare. These resources include facility evacuation plans in case an emergency occurs while you are at work and it’s important for you to also have a plan in place for emergencies at home.

Regardless of where you are when an emergency occurs, the most important thing you need to know is where to go. Employees should ensure that they know their designated evacuation points here at VAPIHCS in case of a fire, hurricane, or tsunami. This information is contained in VAPIHCS Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). If they are home when an emergency occurs, they should know where the nearest open shelter is. When there is a fire, tsunami, or other disaster, people tend to panic. It’s hard to find and process information when a person is in a panicked state, so knowing where to go and what to do before the emergency occurs could save your life. Having a “family readiness” plan is the key to being prepared for a disaster that affects you at home.

The State of Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, and American Samoa have websites to help you prepare. Staying informed about any dangerous weather or other potential disasters ensures that you are ready when an emergency occurs. In the Hawaiian Islands, emergency shelters are managed by the counties. While some shelters are pre-designated, they must be staffed. Therefore, check with respective county emergency management agencies and the American Red Cross. If you have pets, ask your local Red Cross where the nearest pet-friendly shelter is within your community so you can be prepared to keep your whole family safe.

Sign Up Under the PACT Act

As most of you will have already heard, the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act was passed in August of 2022. This act allows VA to presumptively cover many conditions which were not previously service connected. We continue to hold events to sign people up under this act, but you don’t have to wait until we have an event in your area! You can call 1-800-214-1306 and make an appointment today to speak with a benefits counselor about enrolling under the PACT Act, and filing benefits claims.

This new act applies to Veterans who were exposed to toxic materials during their service. For those who were exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, or other toxins; having that exposure documented and connected to your health problems ensures that VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) can cover your health care expenses related to your toxic exposure. This coverage is presumptive, meaning that if you were exposed to toxins, you are no longer required to prove that your exposure led to your health conditions. It is assumed, and so you are entitled to benefits. Bring your DD214 and come see us. We’d love to review your files and see what we can do to help you.

Whole Health: Surroundings

The Whole Health theme of the month for June is “surroundings.” This theme speaks to what you put in your environment, and how those choices influence you. Numerous elements contribute to making a space a healing environment. Sensory inputs such as what we see, hear, smell, and feel all make an impact. The layout and architecture of the space we are in has an impact as well. 

Color: Color is a specific way we can create healing environments. Warm colors activate the autonomic nervous system, while cool colors calm it down. Cool tones tend to relax us when under high levels of stress. 

Nature: Psychological and physiological indicators suggest faster and more complete recovery from stress when people are exposed to natural settings. Even three to five minutes of time in nature can decrease stress, reduce anger, and ease unpleasant emotions. Views to the outside, interior gardens, and nature-themed artwork and aquariums can help, as can the simple addition of plants into a space.

Sound: When someone is startled by a noise, they may still show elevations in blood pressure and heart rate for hours thereafter. Noise can increase our perception of pain, the use of pain medications, and can impair sleep. Correlations have been made between noise and symptoms of burnout. Music, specifically peaceful music, is known to have several health benefits, such as decreasing anxiety levels and reducing heart and respiratory rates.

One Small Change: Small changes can have a big impact on our surroundings. This may be as simple as organizing a small space in your home, cleaning out a closet, hanging a picture or adding a piece of art to a wall, or listening to ocean waves for five minutes on your computer or phone.

This might sound like something that couldn’t possibly have a measurable effect on your health. However, Whole Health is a program devoted to showcasing evidence-based practices that are beneficial to your health. Physical improvements like lowered blood pressure may result from more relaxing surroundings, just as mental health is improved by pleasant surroundings. If you haven’t looked around your home or office recently; take a moment to make sure that your spaces are as clean, beautiful, and calming as you can make them. Give it a try!

Masking at VA

As the public health emergency for COVID-19 comes to an end, you will notice changes in our facilities. Screeners will no longer be stationed at the doors, and we will no longer be handing masks to everyone who enters. As we make these changes at our facilities, please keep in mind that we hope to keep some public health precautions in place.

Among them, we hope that all Veterans will continue to be mindful of the serious risks that COVID-19 and flu still represent to your health. Being mindful of your own risk is essential, particularly if you are immunocompromised. Even though the emergency declaration is over, you can still wear a mask into our facilities if you have a health condition like diabetes or cancer that would make an illness harder on you. Likewise, if you are sick, you can still wear a mask to prevent spreading the virus you are carrying to another person. You can also stay home and ensure that no one will be infected by a sneeze or cough.

I understand that wearing masks isn’t fun, and as we roll back requirements to wear them, many people may feel excited to throw their stock of masks away. It’s nice when someone tells you that an emergency is over, particularly if that emergency took a toll on you. However, it’s important that we keep in place our care and concern for the health of those around us. Being vaccinated is a wonderful first step, but masking is still a great way to protect yourself and others. You don’t need to be ashamed to come to a clinic where people are likely to be sick wearing a mask. I hope that many Veterans will continue to be mindful, and to protect their own health and the health of others.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

The changing seasons hold invaluable wisdom and life lessons that can illuminate our own personal journeys. Although we may experience nature’s seasons differently than in most parts of mainland United States, there is some profound wisdom that can be gleaned from reflecting on the phenomena of seasons.

1. Embracing Change: The seasons remind us that change is a natural part of life - a law interwoven into nature’s very fabric. Just as the earth transitions from spring to summer, autumn to winter, we too experience seasons of change in our lives. Perhaps one of the most difficult words in the English language is the word “accept”. However, when we can learn to accept what is outside of our control, we can instead focus our limited energies to devote to what we can control.

2. Letting Go and Renewal: Autumn displays the beauty of letting go as trees shed their leaves. Seasons remind us that letting go of the past is essential for new growth and renewal. Some are perpetually looking to the past, fixated on prior mistakes, regrets, and bad decisions. While others bask in the glory days, to the point that present opportunities are overlooked and unappreciated. But being able to move forward creates space for fresh experiences, ideas, and relationships to flourish.

3. Balance: The cycles of seasons exemplify the importance of balance and harmony. Just as nature finds equilibrium, we should strive to create balance in our lives. Nurturing a balance between work and play, solitude, and social interaction, cultivates our overall well-being.

4. Change requires change: The same way we cannot adjust nature’s thermostat, we cannot always control all that life throws our way. However, we can learn to adjust and adapt in order to thrive in new and different ways. The same way one does not wear winter coats in the summer, different circumstances require new approaches. When we embrace the reality of change in our lives, we can be better positioned to thrive in various seasons of life.

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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