Director's Message March 22, 2024

This area includes the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. We look forward to providing the best ways to deliver care to Veterans in the COFA nations, which you will hear more about in the future. Adding this region to the VA coverage area will not detract in any way from the care that Pacific Island Veterans in Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, and the Hawaiian Islands already enjoy. Instead, it will simply expand care to cover Veterans who served the United States honorably in the military, and who have earned the same benefits as a Veteran from anywhere else.

Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic Registration Event

We are excited to invite you to a registration event for the Daniel Kahikina Akaka VA Clinic at 91-1051 Franklin D. Roosevelt Avenue in Kapolei. The event is on April 5, 2024, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and will include registration services, whole health, caregiver support, benefits advisors, and much more. If you are curious to see our new clinic before it opens, this is your chance! We expect to see our first patient on April 8, 2024, for our soft opening, with a gradual increase in services through the end of the year.

Why You Should Choose VA

At the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS), we put all our energy into finding the best ways possible to care for those who have worn the cloth of our nation. For those who are not yet enrolled in care at VAPIHCS, I want to share some reasons why we are your best choice for health care. If you are enrolled, but you have friends who haven’t made the switch yet, these are some things you can share with them to help them #ChooseVA.

• VA providers are more experienced with issues related to Veterans, such as illnesses commonly caused by toxic exposures, certain mental health conditions that are more common in soldiers, knowledge of Veteran-related community programs, and much more. 
• At a VA appointment, Veterans get screenings that they wouldn’t get in the community, some of which relate to their military service, and others related to issues that have been shown to be more common in Veterans. 
• Veterans can self-refer to many VA services without having to get a referral from their Primary Care Provider (PCP). For example, a Veteran who is having trouble hearing may self-refer to audiology. A Veteran who felt a lump in their breast and needs a mammogram can self-refer to radiology. A Veteran who is having mental health challenges can self-refer to mental health. All of this and more can be done without a PCP referral. 
• Veterans will have access to other services not provided outside VA like Gerofit, Whole Health, and the Move Program. Many of these benefits are not available outside VA, and do not require a referral from a provider and. 
• Retired Veterans may want to stick with Tricare because that is what is familiar. However, the cost of Tricare increases considerably when a Veteran turns 65. If you’re going to have to switch eventually, why not do it now? 
•VA providers have experience with issues related to aging that physicians on the active-duty side of care would rarely see.

These are just a few examples. We also provide an integrated approach to health care that allows for enhanced care coordination between providers, and we provide Chaplain Services and other tertiary care programs that you might not have access to through a provider in the community. If you or someone you know is not enrolled, call us at 1-800-214-1306 to learn more and join our VAPIHCS ohana.

Veteran Transportation Options

The 4th Floor of the parking garage at our Spark Matsunaga Ambulatory Care Center is closed from March 18, 2024, to May 12, 2024, for repairs.

Please remember that we have a courtesy shuttle that picks up from the Park-and-Ride location at Ke'ehi Lagoon for Veterans who do not want to park on site at Tripler Army Medical Center. If you have questions about the VAPIHCS courtesy shuttle, please call 808-433-7982.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most-visited memorial on the National Mall in Washington, attracting more than five million people each year. The most prominent feature of the memorial is a massive wall that lists the names of the more than 58,000 service members who lost their lives during the Vietnam War.

But as profound of a piece of work as this memorial wall is, many are unaware of the designer behind the memorial. Her name was Maya Lin, from Athens, Ohio, an Asian American of Chinese descent. The fact that she was of Asian heritage was a point of controversy since she was designing a wall honoring Veterans who died during a war in Vietnam. She was subject to undue scrutiny and criticism. Additionally, her minimalistic design was hotly contested. This minimalistic design was in sharp contrast to the traditional format for a memorial, which usually included figurative, heroic sculptures made of white marble.

Furthermore, at the time, Maya Lin was only 21 years of old, and was a Yale college student. She submitted her design for the memorial as part of a competition, and out of about 1,420 applicants, her design was chosen. But due to her age, some critics dismissed her as inexperienced and questioned if she even had the ability to create a fitting tribute to American soldiers. But Lin’s design was chosen, nonetheless. However, feelings were running so high at the time that her name was not even mentioned at the dedication of the memorial in 1982.

But after Lin’s monument was dedicated on the Mall in Washington, D.C., on Veterans Day in 1982, it became a popular and touching tourist attraction. In 2005, the American Institute of Architects conferred upon the monument its 25-year award, given to the structure it honors as it has proved its worth over time.

Maya Lin’s story serves as reminder to not come to conclusions about people because of their outward appearance. When people are dismissed for superficial reasons, we not only discount the individual, but the gifts and talents that they bring to the table. Sometimes the people we least expect have some of the most useful gifts, talents, and insights that can be of benefit to our lives. 
Let’s value each other as equals.

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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