Director's Veteran Message November 21, 2025
Happy Thanksgiving As we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to each of you. This holiday is a time for reflection and gratitude, and I am reminded of the immense sacrifices you have made in service to our country.
Thank you for your unwavering courage, resilience, and dedication. Your service allows us to enjoy the freedoms and privileges we hold dear. At VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS), we are honored to be your health care provider of choice, and we strive every day to uphold the trust you have placed in us. Please know that we are here for you, committed to your well-being, and dedicated to providing the highest level of care.
Join us to celebrate at our Thanksgiving Luncheon on November 27th at the Daniel K. Akaka VA Clinic (91-1051 Franklin D. Ave, Kapolei, HI 96707) from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you for food, fellowship, and gratitude.
Wishing you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.
Quit Like a Pro
Stopping smoking is hard, but every year more than 100,000 Veterans successfully quit. Many find help through VA tobacco treatment programs. In honor of the Great American Smoke Out, VAPIHCS encourages Veterans to learn how to quit like a pro.
Here are three pro tips:
- Explore all VA tobacco treatments available to you, including prescription medications, nicotine replacement therapies, and counseling.
- Use medication and counseling together. Real-life results show that this combination gives you the best chance of quitting for good.
- Understand that, like any skill, every quit attempt teaches you something that can help you succeed next time.
Discuss with your VA health care provider or call 1-855-QUIT-VET (1-
Veteran Experience Survey Spotlight – Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP)
One of the questions you may see in a SHEP survey asks:
“In the past six months, how often did this provider show respect for what you had to say?”
We know that feeling seen and heard by your healthcare provider fosters a trusting relationship and improved health outcomes. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) emphasizes ICARE values, which stand for Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence. These values are deeply embedded in our mission to provide exceptional care to all Veterans.
Listening is a core component of effective communication between healthcare providers and patients, fostering honesty, transparency, and emotional support.
When your providers actively listen, they demonstrate their commitment to the VA’s I CARE principles. Thank you for choosing VAPIHCS and giving us the opportunity to provide safe, quality, and compassionate care.
Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles
A timeless tale speaks of a father who was a farmer. Aware of his approaching death, he gathered his children together and shared a secret: “There is a great treasure buried somewhere in our fields, but I cannot recall exactly where it is”, he told his children. After his passing, his children, in search of this secret treasure, began digging throughout the fields. Day after day, they toiled, turning over every inch of soil. Yet, despite their efforts, they found no gold or jewels.
Frustrated after all that digging, but still undeterred, his children stopped, to look around, and realized that after turning over every corner of the fields, they had inadvertently tilled the ground, and now the soil was well-prepared for planting. They decided to plant seeds in the freshly tilled earth. That season, the crops yielded an extraordinary harvest, far surpassing anything the farm had ever produced before.
The “treasure” turned out not to be silver or gold—rather, it was the fertile land, the strength they had to cultivate the land, the abundance it produced, and the bonds they developed working alongside each other. The treasure was all around, but “finding” it would be their choice. In digging to find new treasure, they developed a sense of gratitude for the gifts they possessed all along.
Gratitude, by its very nature, is a beautiful paradox. The more we express gratitude, the more we find to be grateful for. It’s free, and costs us nothing, yet it immeasurably enriches our lives. Gratitude may not add or give us more, but it can transform what we already have into being enough. Henry Ward Beecher once said, “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul”. During this Thanksgiving season, let’s decide to cultivate the attitude of simply being thankful.
One Team, One Ohana!
Thandiwe Nelson-Brooks, MPH, FACHE
Interim Medical Center Director
VA Pacific Islands Health Care System