Director's Message May 16, 2025

I had the chance to connect with staff, walk through the clinic, and hear about the great work they’re doing to serve our Veterans.

I was especially grateful to spend time with our CBOC Chief, Dr. Kevin McDermott, and his outstanding team. It’s clear how much pride everyone takes in serving our Veterans, and that pride shows up in the care they provide every day. To the entire Guam team: thank you. Your commitment, compassion, and professionalism are making a real difference, and I’m proud to work alongside you. Keep up the great work—we see you, and we appreciate all that you do.

National Police Week

This week, VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) Police force held ‘Coffee with a Cop’ events at the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic, the Community Living Center (CLC), and the Spark Matsunaga Ambulatory Care Center (ACC). These events - done during National Police Week - were an opportunity for Veterans and staff to get to know our VA Police and learn about the work they do.

This week, we pause to honor the service and sacrifice of our law enforcement officers during National Police Week. VA has had its own dedicated police force in the continental United States since 1971. At VAPIHCS, we began establishing our own police force just last year, hiring our own police officers and support.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all officers—past and present—whose courage, compassion, and dedication make our communities stronger and safer. We especially remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. To all law enforcement professionals: thank you for your service. We stand with you in appreciation and respect – not just this week, but every day. 

Hilo Community Call

VAPIHCS will hold a PACT Act Registration and Community Call event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 31, 2025, at the Prince Kuhio Plaza, 111 East Puainako Street, Hilo, HI 96720. The event will have member service representatives ready to enroll Veterans who have never enrolled or those who have become newly eligible under the PACT Act. Veterans who are seeking to enroll in VA health care for the first time are encouraged to bring a copy of their DD214. Veterans who are already enrolled are also welcome to join us for health services such as diabetic foot checks, vaccines, and blood pressure checks. All Veterans are welcome to join us to learn more about VA health care benefits.

VAPIHCS provides high quality, compassionate care to Veterans throughout the Pacific Islands, with sites of care in the Hawaiian Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. The PACT (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics) Act is a law that will help VA deliver care for millions of Veterans — and their spouses or survivors — by empowering us to presumptively provide care and benefits to Veterans suffering from more than 20 toxic exposure-related conditions. We are implementing the PACT Act now to deliver care and services for toxic-exposed Veterans and their survivors. Learn more about the PACT Act at our next event. For more information regarding VA health care in the Pacific, call us at 1-800-MY-VA-411 or 1-800-698-2411.  

Veteran Owned Brew Cafe

On Thursday, May 15, 2025, our very own VAPIHCS canteen - The Brew Cafe, located inside the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic - celebrated its one-year anniversary. Previous VAPIHCS sites of care were not built with space for a canteen, but the Akaka clinic follows a newer design model that integrates areas for Veterans to socialize when they come for appointments. VAPIHCS staff are also able to purchase food at the new cafe, which is a Veteran-owned family business with a wonderful story behind it. The Bartolome family, who own the Brew Cafe, proudly serve their family’s coffee in our canteen, and we are grateful to have them serving our Veterans. Happy Anniversary to the Brew Café.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

There’s an old folk tale about a skillful stonecutter who spent his days cutting stone off a mountain. He was sought after in his community, as his stones were used for building homes and gravestones. One hot summer day, the stonecutter looked up at the sun as it shone proudly in the sky and thought, “How powerful the sun is! I wish I could be the sun!”

Magically, he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone and scorching the fields. But then a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, blocking his light from everything below. “How powerful that storm cloud is!” he thought. “I wish I could be a cloud!”

He became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages. But soon he found himself being pushed along by an even greater force, and realized it was the wind. “How powerful the wind is!” he thought. “I wish I could be the wind!”

He became the wind, blowing tiles off roofs, uprooting trees, and feared by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that could not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it—a huge, towering rock. “How powerful that rock is!” he thought. “I wish I could be a rock!”

He became a rock, feeling invincible against the hot sun and mighty winds, secure against the elements. But as he stood there, he heard a hammer pounding a chisel into his hard, rocky exterior and was confounded. “What could be more powerful than I, the rock?” he thought.

When he looked down, to his amazement, it was a stonecutter. At that point, he made his final wish; he asked to become a stonecutter once again. His wish was granted. But this time, he returned to his former role, with a smile on his face and deeper gratitude, because he now understood that the grass was not greener on the other side. He appreciated the difference he could make in the role he already had.

One Team, One Ohana!
Thandiwe (Tandi) Nelson-Brooks, MPH, FACHE
Interim Medical Center Director
VA Pacific Islands Health Care System

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