Director's Message March 11, 2022

When Congress passed the VA MISSION Act of 2018, it required VA to undertake the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) process —an initiative to study the current and future health care needs of veterans across America, and to evaluate VA’s health care infrastructure (medical centers, clinics, etc.) to ensure VA staff have the resources needed to continue providing world-class access and outcomes to Veterans.  AIR is a congressionally mandated process designed to modernize and realign VA’s aging health care infrastructure and:

• Build a health care network with the right facilities, in the right places, to provide the right care for Veterans in every part of the country.

• Leverage and continue our partnerships with the Department of Defense, Indian Health Service, Health Resources & Services Administration Health Center Program, and community providers.

• Continue our world-class academic training affiliations and research partnerships.

• Set VA’s direct care system on a sustainable path, ensuring that we remain the primary, world-class provider and coordinator of Veterans health care for generations to come.

As part of the AIR process, VA will submit recommendations to the Presidentially appointed AIR Commission, which will review the recommendations before presenting its findings and decisions to the President and Congress in early 2023. The AIR process and recommendations that follow contain a lot of information in them – information that still has a long journey to take before any action will be taken on them.

I want to stress that this is only a review process that makes recommendations; nothing is changing now. For our Ohana here in VA Pacific Islands Health Care System, there are not any recommended closures, so there will be minimal impact if the recommendations become mandates. VA strives for transparency and honestly, so we want to let you know that this is happening. However, you have no reason to worry.

Blood Drive

I want to thank everyone who participated in our blood drive. The event took place at the Spark Matsunaga Ambulatory Care Clinic on March 10, 2022. We did a lot to help out VA with the national blood shortage, but there’s still an urgent need for donors. You can always find a location to donate blood here.  Also, you can always donate at the Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) Blood Donation Center, 2rd floor Oceanside. They accept donors on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and you can call ahead at 808-433-6148. Don’t forget to take a picture and post it with the #RollUpYourSleve hashtag.

Social Work Month

VA proudly recognizes March as National Professional Social Work Month as we celebrate the invaluable contributions social workers make in the lives of Veterans, their families and caregivers.

This year’s theme – The Time Is Right for Social Work – underscores the contributions social workers have made to this Nation for more than a century. Social workers are needed more than ever as VA focuses on enhancing inclusion, diversity, health equity and access for all.

Social workers are on the front lines in all VA Medical Centers to help our Nation’s heroes address their physical, emotional, and social needs while raising awareness of social issues that impact individuals, families and our communities. Social workers are strong advocates for the needs of Veterans and their loved ones and help them navigate the complex VA system of care.

VA Social Workers have led mission critical programming and provided mission critical interventions for Veterans for more than 90 years. VA continues to be the largest employer and trainer of social workers in the Nation, with more than 17,000 Master’s.
 

Moloka’i Town Hall

On March 29, 2022 there will be a town hall for Veterans on Moloka’i. The event will be held at Moloka’i Veterans Caring for Veterans Center at 81 Kaunakakai Place on Moloka’i. Everyone is welcome to attend. This event is to share information regarding the move of the VA clinic and to hear feedback from Veterans. We will also answer any questions participants have about VA health care. For more information, contact Amy Rohlfs, Public Affairs Officer, VAPIHCS at (808) 208-5544.
 

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