Director's Message March 8, 2024

The board of Veteran appeals processed 103,245 Veteran appeals in 2023, which is an increase of 8.3% from 2022. Last week, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) held a PACT Act Community Call in American Samoa, offering needed services to the islands, and meeting our Veterans where they are to provide our services. Both nationally across VA, and here at home in the Pacific Islands, we are working to improve the Veteran experience for everyone who has worn the cloth of our nation.

As we continue this work, we look forward to the opening of our new Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic in Kapolei, and our new Kona Clinic in Kailua-Kona. We look forward to more PACT Act Community Calls, as well as participating in community events, all in the spirit of caring for our Veterans. Our next event will be at the Ho’ike Mana resource fair on March 9, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kiowe’a Park (Coconut Grove), in Moloka’i. We hope to see you there!

We will also have a PACT Act Community Call at the Kauai Veterans Center, located at 3215 Kauai Veterans Memorial Highway, Lihue, HI 96766. This event will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, 2024, and Thursday, March 28, 2024. We will offer vaccines, PACT Act registration and enrollment services, health services, and more. For questions about our upcoming events, please call 1-800-214-1306.

Women’s History Month

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proudly celebrates Women’s History Month, which serves as an opportunity to remember and recognize the women Veterans who have fought for our country, women service members who defend our freedoms today, and our women ohana here at VAPIHCS.

All too often, the importance of women and their struggles can be forgotten. Future generations may assume women have always occupied leadership and had important roles, and they may not realize the effort it took to get there. I believe it is our duty as a nation to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions, service, and sacrifice of women—especially women Veterans—who blazed the trails we walk upon today. Commemorations such as Women’s History Month and Women Veterans Recognition Day are critical to lift and celebrate women’s achievements and women's struggle for equality, so they are not minimized, or worse – lost, to history.

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

March is Colorectal Cancer Month. Getting screened is incredibly important since colorectal cancer rarely causes symptoms in its early stages. That’s why VA offers multiple screening options for Veterans, which include a home-based fecal immunochemical test (FIT) that checks for blood in your stool, a traditional colonoscopy, and flexible sigmoidoscopy.

In fact, through a new program called Mailed FIT, more than 100,000 kits have already been sent to Veterans, making screening for colorectal cancer even easier and more convenient. Make sure you get screened; it can save your life.

Learn more about colorectal cancer on cancer.va.gov or talk to your provider.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

As human beings, it may be fair to say that we generally value having a sense of validation. Perhaps we can recall our earliest memories from childhood, the sense of happiness we derived from having someone approve of us. However, as we progress through life, we inevitably experience the reality that, regardless of how good our intentions might be, we can never win everyone’s approval. But I’ve come to learn that even in this is hidden a special lesson.

Think, for a moment, of the ancient art of pruning - a gardening technique that is counterintuitive at first glance. When a gardener prunes a plant, the gardener intentionally trims and cuts off parts of the plant. But why would a gardener, who’s invested in the growth and flourishing of their plant, intentionally cut back and remove parts of the plant, seemingly hindering its growth? Because it's precisely this act of pruning that stimulates new growth, fosters greater health, and ultimately yields a more abundant harvest.

In life, experiencing moments of losing external validation can mirror the concept of pruning. Perhaps it can come in the form of sudden unfair criticism, gossip, and even rumors - all of which can feel like sharp shears cutting away at your sense of self.

But what if, like the plants in the garden, these seemingly hurtful words could serve an unintended purpose? See, just as pruning removes dead or diseased branches, criticism can cut away the parts of ourselves that may be too dependent on human praise for self-validation.

It can help usher us into a deeper sense of freedom - a freedom that doesn’t always find the need to find validation from others. It can help us face the reality that we simply cannot always control how people choose to perceive us - and be okay with that.

It's in these moments of discomfort that we have the chance to grow in new ways and be reminded that our sense of self-esteem is never to be rooted in the shifting sands of the opinions of others.
So, the next time you find yourself faced with gossip or unfair criticism, remember the lessons of the garden. Embrace the pruning process, knowing that what may initially feel like a loss can actually be the greatest pathway to personal growth.

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

Stay Informed

Website: https://www.va.gov/pacific-islands-health-care/ submit your email to get our updates
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VAPacificIslands/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/va_pacific_islands/
Podcast: https://vapihcspao.podbean.com/