Director's Message March 25, 2022
VAPIHCS Veterans, The Vietnam War Commemoration was launched in 2012 by President Obama. Approximately 9 million Americans served during the Vietnam era from Nov. 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975. More than 6 million are still alive today.
The inaugural ceremony to honor Vietnam Veterans was held at The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (“The Wall”) in Washington, D.C., on Memorial Day, May 28, 2012.
The 50th Anniversary commemoration period initiated in 2015 and ending in 2025 directly corresponds to each year between 1965 and 1975, the inclusive dates U.S. combat troops were deployed in Vietnam. By Presidential Proclamation, the U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration will continue through Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2025.
Veterans of WWI and WWII were celebrated when they arrived home from war. They received parades and commemoration ceremonies from a grateful nation. Unfortunately, the Vietnam War didn’t have widespread support at home, and so veterans of the Vietnam War were not given the kind of welcome home that they deserved. The establishment of this 50th Anniversary Period from 2015 to 2025 is meant to highlight that the soldiers drafted to fight in the Vietnam War deserve recognition for their service.
At VA, we strive to honor every man and women who has worn the cloth of our nation, and to provide them safe, compassionate, quality care. All Veterans have made sacrifices of mind, body, and spirit in their service of this country, and all those sacrifices deserve recognition. VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) proudly celebrates the contributions made by our soldiers, and we are proud to recognize their year’s Vietnam War Veterans Day.
Moloka’i Town Hall
VAPIHCS would like to invite all interested parties to the Moloka’i Town Hall on March 29, 2022. This event will be held at the Moloka’i Veterans Caring for Veterans Center, which is located at 81 Kaunakakai Place, Moloka’i Hawaii 96748. We will meet from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. to discuss the concerns of Moloka’i veterans and stakeholders. Anyone is welcome to attend. For more information: Amy Rohlfs, VAPIHCS Public Affairs Officer, at 808-208-5544.
Women’s Health at VA
This month is women’s history month, and we’re taking the opportunity to talk about programs offered at VA for women veterans. Women veterans have unique needs, and it’s important that we recognize this. As an example, women veterans may need support for birth control, infertility and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment, disorders and diseases more common in or specific to women, maternity, and menopause support. VA provides women health services within each Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) to address these needs.
There are also more programs yet to come. VA has been approved to add services like breastfeeding classes to help women veterans with all aspects of their health care journey. In addition to this, clinics try to include the whole health principles that are applied across VA. Whole Health is about asking the veteran what is most important to them, and then suggesting programs and services that will help them achieve their goals. For example, a women veteran may have the goal of being able to get down on the floor to play with her children or grandchildren. In this case, VA would want to offer classes in movement like Tai Chi to assist with flexibility and mobility overall.
VAPIHCS is working every day to improve women’s health services. As more women enter the armed forces, more women become veterans. VA expects to see a surge in women veterans in the future and is increasing services and programs to meet the needs of those veterans. Robust programs have been developed and will continue to be developed to ensure that women veterans are comfortable coming to the VA, and to ensure that they feel welcomed.
National Doctor’s Day
National Doctor’s Day is on March 30, 2022. I’d like to make sure to take this opportunity to thank our doctors. All our staff is valuable and deserving of recognition, but our doctors really have gone above and beyond the last few years, providing care even when it required personal risk to do so. Please remember to say thank you to the doctors that you work with and who you know and give them some recognition on March 30, 2022.
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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