Director's Message March 10, 2023

The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act was passed in August of 2022, and since that time, we’ve held PACT Act Community Calls throughout our coverage area to encourage veterans to come and speak with us, and learn what benefits they may be eligible for now.

As part of this ongoing effort, we will be holding a PACT Act Community Call on the island of Kauai on March 30, 2023, and March 31, 2023. The event time has been extended and will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kauai Veterans Center at 3215 Kauai Veterans Memorial Hwy, Lihue, Hawaii. 

Veterans who are already enrolled may also come for things like diabetic foot checks, vaccines, blood pressure checks, and benefits questions.

The PACT Act opens up new opportunities for people who may have been denied VA care in the past. If you have a history of toxic exposure during your military service, please come and talk to us. Let us determine what benefits and services you may be eligible for now.

National Nutrition Month

Having good nutrition is an important part of a healthy life. However, this might not be something that you learned a lot about growing up. Even the most loving parents might not have been able to teach you about getting good nutrition if they didn’t know themselves. That’s why it’s so important to take the time to learn about what good nutrition is, and how to eat right for a healthy life.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, the Whole Health theme of the month is “Food and Drink.”, and  we have resources here at VA that you might not think to ask for. From healthy recipes, to  a consultation with a nutritionist or dietician, you have access to a variety of programs designed to help you stay healthy. Make an appointment with your doctor today to discuss how you can improve your eating habits for a healthier life. Call 1-800-214-1306 to make an appointment.

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the United States. Every March, we spotlight this disease to raise awareness and encourage people to get screened. In patients over 45 years of age, screening can help find warning signs of colorectal cancer, helping doctors to take preventative action. Treatment is most effective if colorectal cancer is caught early.

People often put off screening because they don’t want to have a colonoscopy. They’ve heard that the preparations and the scan are unpleasant, and they want to avoid discomfort. The truth is, getting a coloscopy is painless, and the procedure is done under sedation. Additionally, it’s important to weigh the possibility of your life being saved against a small amount of discomfort from the preparations for this scan.

Early detection through screening is proven to dramatically reduce fatalities from colorectal cancer. On average, 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer per year. It’s important to note that this type of cancer may not present with symptoms at first, and screening is the only way to catch the disease early. Talk with your doctor about your risk factors, and about how soon and how often you should be screened.

Women Veterans Services

A majority of women veterans are not utilizing their earned benefits.  Given that health care is an inevitable need for all, the lack of enrollment may lead to missed or delayed opportunities for health intervention, which can negatively impact health outcomes and long-term quality of life.

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Women's Health Reengagement Training (heaRT) is an official program of the VA Office of Women's Health. The goal of VA Women's heaRT is to connect with and educate women Veterans who are:

• Not currently enrolled in VA health care services or

• Are enrolled, but unaware of the breadth of VA health care services available to them.

The training provides women veterans with key information about how VA is structured, the women and veteran-specific health care services available to them, and how to enroll. This program’s mission is to connect women with the benefits they earned and deserve. Women veterans can register for a virtual or in person training session on the VA Women’s heaRT website at . 

Thoughts by Chaplain Richie Charles

Helen Keller was born a healthy, promising child on June 27, 1880, with full sight and hearing. At the tender age of 19 months, she developed an illness that left her blind and deaf. Helen Keller was able to triumph over almost insurmountable odds and was able to inspire millions the world over. But less is known about the person behind much of her success: her teacher Anne Sullivan Macy.

As a child, Hellen Keller was described as throwing terrible tantrums and lashing out at others. She was often misunderstood; even Helen’s uncle suggested that Helen was problematic and should be “put away” by her family.

But Anne Sullivan saw something in Helen that most people could not see. It became clear to her that Helen Keller was actually expressing an inner frustration of being unable to engage the outside world, despite possessing an inquisitive mind. Anne Sullivan understood this because she herself was also visually impaired. Sullivan grew up in poverty, suffered abuse, and had similar behavioral tendencies growing up.

Anne Sullivan saw that Helen needed a mixture of compassion, empathy, and firmness if Helen would ever rise to her potential. Because of Ann Sullivan’s methods, Helen Keller mastered braille and the alphabet by age ten and learned to use a typewriter. By age 16, Hellen could speak well enough to go to preparatory school, and by age 24, she graduated from Radcliffe College cum laude in 1904. She wrote 12 books and became a public activist for those with disabilities and others. Schools for the blind and rehab centers were established, and millions were inspired due to her influence.

To paraphrase Robert Schuller, “anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple, but who can truly estimate the number of apples in a seed?” Ann Sullivan saw seeds of potential that others would not.

Let’s be inspired by Anne Sullivan Macy’s example, and let’s use our energies to build each other up, and never for tearing another down.

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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