Director's Message March 31, 2023

. Active-duty service members, staff, and Veterans celebrated together and shared their appreciation for those who have worn the cloth of our nation.

On March 29, 2023, I attended a ceremony at Kaneohe Veterans Cemetery in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War. VA Pacific Islands Health Care System is proud to serve all Veterans, and it is our honor to give thanks and provide safe, compassionate, and quality care to Veterans until their final salute. That evening, there was also a ceremony and parade for Vietnam Veterans in Waikiki. Vietnam Veterans came from all over the United States to attend, and it was a joyous celebration of our Vietnam Veterans who are still alive today.

COVID-19 Updated Operations Plan

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) COVID-19 Operational Plan (updated on March 3, 2023), is iterative guidance providing a response framework and protocol for all VHA facilities to navigate the transition proactively and safely from pandemic to endemic operations and in response to local community transmission levels. At VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS), this means you will be seeing some changes in screening and masking. Veterans will no longer be asked the screening questions. Instead, Veterans will be asked to pause a moment to kindly review the self-screening poster and directly report any symptoms to the provider of their appointment. This will not prevent you from completing your scheduled appointment, but it will help the staff know how to best assist you. Masking is recommended for lobby areas and hallways but required in high-risk clinical areas, starting in waiting rooms. Staff will still be required to wear masks if you or your family member or caregiver requests it. These changes are in accordance with national policy and are subject to change if the level of risk is reassessed.

Nominate a Deserving Nurse for a DAISY Award

The Disease Attacking the Immune System (DAISY) Foundation was founded in 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33, from complications of the autoimmune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP). During his eight-week hospital stay, Patrick’s family was impressed by the care and compassion of the nurses. They created the DAISY Award in Pat’s memory to recognize those nurses who make a difference in the lives of so many patients.

Our DAISY Awards honorees demonstrate the VA’s ICARE principles. They also demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and compassionate care, and recognized as role models in the nursing community. Anyone can nominate a deserving nurse for a DAISY Award, so please consider taking the time to recognize the nurses you know by submitting their names for consideration for this award.

PACT Act Community Calls

VAPIHCS has been working hard to enroll newly eligible Veterans. 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 held a PACT Act Community Call in the island of Kauai on March 30 & 31, 2023 at the Kauai Veterans Center.

However, you don’t have to wait for a community call event. Make an appointment by calling 1-800-214-1306.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

Along an obscure hiking trail in Western New York is hidden one of the most mysterious sights in nature. Beneath an apparently ordinary 35-foot waterfall stands a fire – a fire that is believed to have been lit for thousands of years. In fact, this small burning fire has been dubbed the “eternal flame”, and the water fall above it is called the Eternal Flame Falls. This approximately 8-inch flame has attracted geologists, researchers, and tourists from all over who come to either admire this phenomenon that seems so out of place, or who try to get to the bottom of the science behind its existence. Now occasionally, the fire does technically go out, but is able to be relit by travelers because there is a continual flow of natural gas that emits from beneath the bedrock. Beneath a waterfall, in an almost exclusively wet environment, the fire – by and large – continues to burn.

But this New York waterfall isn’t the only place where there exists a mysterious flame that refuses to go out. I believe that within each of us, we all have a fiery passion to accomplish something greater than ourselves. And even if we can’t pinpoint a particular passion, at the very least, there exists a desire deep within us to lead a life that makes a positive impact upon others. We may find that we have unique gifts, talents, interests, and goals.

But the path towards fulfilling our sense of purpose is never without its share of challenges and roadblocks. And for some, discouragements along the way have caused them to abandon the sense of purpose they once felt they had. But when we do this, we can miss out on the opportunity to make the kind of impact on others that sometimes only you can uniquely make. Let’s decide to reignite that passion within us and tap into our unique qualities to better serve others.

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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