Directors Message October 11, 2024

Health services available at the clinic include Primary and Mental health, Women’s Health, Optometry, Dental, Podiatry, Pulmonary Function Tests/Pulmonology exams, Cardiology, Audiology, Gastroenterology, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Recreational Therapy, and more. We are also co-located with the Veteran Benefits Administration (VBA) office - and now – the West Oahu VA Vet Center is available at the same location.

Vet Centers were started after the Vietnam War when some Veterans felt uncomfortable walking into a VA hospital. Much of the United States population opposed the Vietnam War, and Veterans felt more comfortable going to small community clinics. In more recent years, Vet Centers have become a place where Veterans go for group therapy and other resources.

There are seven Vet Centers in the Pacific Islands, including one in Guam and one in American Samoa. They provide a wide array of services for active-duty military, National Guard and Reserves, family members, and Veterans. The Vet Centers fall under the Readjustment Counseling Services (RCS) branch of VA, and they work in tandem with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and the National Cemetery Association (NCA) to provide services for Veterans.

Having the West Oahu Vet Center inside the Akaka VA Clinic is just one more reason for you to enroll in VA Health Services by calling 1-800-214-1306.

Visit the Vet Center Main Home Page for more information: 

https://www.vetcenter.va.gov/

Physical Therapy Month

Every October we celebrate National Physical Therapy Month to raise awareness about the many benefits of physical therapy. People often think of physical therapy as something you do after a surgery, injury, or stroke, to recover lost mobility. However, physical therapists also assist Veterans in learning stretches and exercises designed to help them avoid injuries and falls. Physical therapists are movement experts, and primary care doctors can refer mature Veterans for an assessment to see if they would be a good candidate for services that may help them on the path to healthy aging. If you are concerned about falls or if you are having movement difficulties, talk with your doctor about a referral to physical therapy. 

Connected Care On-Demand Services

VA now offers on-demand services for pharmacy, scheduling, tele-emergency care, and clinical nurse triage care. Veterans can call 833-983-0487 to speak with a real person in real time about their health care needs. This service is available 24/7.

Thoughts from Chaplain Jewel – Influencer

Let's take a ride down memory lane and flashback to our grade school years when, on several occasions we might have gone home and repeated slangs or phrases that we learned from classmates only to have our parents cease all movement to question, “Who did you learn that from?” Or maybe we changed our hairstyles or fashion because back then they were the “in” thing. We may have acquired a taste for a different genre of music, joined the latest dance craze, or tried a new sport simply because it was cool, and fun, and popular. In childhood and adolescence, this type of influence is generally called peer pressure. But somehow, for adults, these influences have been given an entirely different label. It’s called “rubbing off on people.”

Here at VAPIHCS where we have a vibrant mix of personalities and characteristics, we may be unaware of our subtle influence upon each another.  Working in close proximity, we become familiar with our coworkers’ tones and cadence, their energy levels, excitability, and passions, their likes and dislikes, their styles, what makes them laugh, and how they laugh. We might subconsciously co-opt words or phrases that we’re completely unaware of until one day we’re surprised when we hear ourselves say them. Like brushing against a freshly painted wall or being too close to an activity where paint is splattering, we admit to ourselves that, “someone has rubbed off on us.” Whether consciously aware or not, like splatters of paint that cling to us, we have been, and we are, subtly influenced by many people. Which in most cases is pretty good because it makes us that much more colorful!

And just as we rub off on each other, we also rub off on our Veterans and they rub off on us. As we get to know them, they become familiar with us. They begin to recognize our tone and our characteristics, our passions and dedication, our good nature and sense of humor, and our ways of being with them. Each time they interact with us, they leave with a little splattering of our influence. May we mindful of the extent of our influence. Blessings and mahalo.

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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