Director's Message October 14, 2022

I am honored to have been present at the ceremony to celebrate such a momentous event.

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the staff at the CFA and appreciate all that they do. Thank you for devoting yourself to the noble work of caring for our nation’s veterans. As a physician and a veteran myself who served for over 30 years, I know all too well that the peace and freedom that we enjoy as Americans has been secured by generations of veterans. Like our CFA staff and all VA staff, I believe that it is a privilege to serve our veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors as well as they have served us. Over my years of service, I have been deeply impressed by the devotion and excellence of VA employees. It was inspirational to celebrate that at the 25th anniversary of the CFA.

The building now houses the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Residential Recovery Program (PRRP) as well as the nursing home, named the Community Living Center (CLC). It also still holds office spaces. The main goal is to provide a good quality of life for Veterans who are aging in whatever way is possible. Others stay in the CLC short-term while they recover from surgery, receive wound care, or receive physical therapy.  Other veterans have more care needs than can be provided in their home and so they remain in the facility for the remainder of their life.

The staff at the CFA do great work, and I’m very proud of all of them. What’s just as important is that the families of veterans who receive care at the CFA are happy. Much of what we do involves adding staff, working to build new facilities, and looking to the future. With the CFA celebrating its 25th anniversary, I think it’s nice to take a moment to look back, and to see how much we have already accomplished and how far we have come. Let’s continue with that forward moment so that we can continue to meet our goal: To provide safe, compassionate, quality care to the men and women who have worn the cloth of our nation.

Ending Homelessness among Veterans

The words “homeless” and “veteran” should not exist together. VA is committed to ending homelessness among veterans because it is our nation’s duty to ensure all veterans have a place to call home. Significant progress has been made to prevent and end veteran homelessness. Since 2010, the number of veterans experiencing homelessness in the United States has declined by nearly half. Since 2010, more than 971,000 veterans and their family members have been permanently housed, rapidly rehoused, or prevented from falling into homelessness through VA’s homeless assistance programs.

During calendar year 2022, VA’s goal is to place at least 38,000 homeless veterans into permanent housing. Here at VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) we are proud to participate in the Homeless Veterans Task Force with John Henry Felix and other influential members of the community. We share VA’s priority to house homeless veterans, and we are working diligently to achieve that goal in every way that we can.

Veterans Encouraged to Enroll

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 has been signed into law. This historic new law expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances and it empowers VA to provide generations of veterans – and their survivors – with the care and benefits they have earned.

I know you and your families will have questions about the PACT Act and what benefits and health care you may now be eligible for. Visit https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/ to learn more.

Veterans and Families Access to Voting Rights

VA is working in close collaboration with local and state public health authorities and with other federal agencies to ensure access to testing, treatment, and prevention tools, such as antivirals and vaccines. VA is also aiding with the voter registration process for tens of thousands of inpatients and residents at our hospitals, nursing homes and treatment centers, along with homebound Veterans and their caregivers. This is a major undertaking as VA expands this effort, putting voting access right at the fingertips of all veterans who may need it. To learn more about VA’s voter registration efforts, visit va.gov/vote.

Monkeypox Response

VA is working in close collaboration with local and state public health authorities and with other federal agencies to ensure access to testing, treatment, and prevention tools, such as antivirals and vaccines. VA has begun offering the JYNNEOS™ vaccine to Veterans at highest risk of infection. For Veterans who need the vaccine, the series requires 2 doses per person, 28 days apart. Due to the limited supply and to ensure availability for Veterans who need it, most Veterans will receive a lower, and still effective dose based on the Emergency Use Authorization. This route, which is being used across the country, uses less vaccine per person and is safe and effective. VA is closely following clinical, infection control, and occupational health guidance provided by CDC.

VA is providing monkeypox testing support its healthcare facilities through its Public Health Reference Laboratory (PHRL) in Palo Alto, CA. PHRL is part of CDC’s LRN (Laboratory Response Network). For more information about monkeypox, please visit Monkeypox | Poxvirus | CDC.

Thoughts From Chaplain Richie Charles

By November 1950, the Korean War was well underway. The First Marine Division was based at the Chosin mountain reservoir, located in North Korea. But even though the U.S. Marines were accompanied by allied troops, their total numbers consisted of only about 30,000 soldiers. This left them surrounded and outnumbered by the 120,000 soldiers of the opposing Army.

To make matters worse, the weather was extremely cold, with temperatures potentially falling as low as -36 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Marines also found themselves dangerously low on ammunition. They sent a radio message to get an air supply of 60mm mortar rounds, which, over the radio, was code-named: “tootsie rolls”.

To their surprise, when the boxes of supplies were parachuted from the sky, the Marines realized that the radio operator misunderstood their coded request. Rather than find the ammunition that they asked for, they found tons of actual Tootsie Rolls chocolate candy!

But the chocolate candy became an unexpected help. Not only was it a source of much-needed energy, but the tootsie rolls helped repair their vehicles! They found that its softened texture could be useful to patch and seal holes in their vehicles and other equipment. With their equipment fixed, many collected their injured comrades, fought through enemy lines, and many were able to retreat to safety.

What at first appeared to be a disastrous mistake, with creativity and quick-thinking, ended up helping them in ways that they could not have anticipated.

Circumstances in life and in our course of service do not always go the way we may have planned. We may sometimes find ourselves challenged by scenarios that we did not expect. But the ability to adapt and be open-minded to creative solutions can be the greatest factor in enabling us to thrive, nonetheless.

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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