Director's Veteran Message October 10, 2025

VAPIHCS Veterans, 

I want to personally assure you that the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) remains open during the federal government shutdown. All VAPIHCS clinics are operational and continue to provide medical and mental health services as usual. Your appointments and services will not be affected. While we all look forward to the shutdown ending soon, please know that we’re here for you, as always. We are committed to providing patient-centered and consistent services. For more information, visit https://department.va.gov/contingency-planning/.

At VAPIHCS, you remain at the heart of everything we do. Providing high-quality, safe, and compassionate Veteran-centered care is our top priority. We want to know how we are doing at every level of care, and the VA collects patient feedback in many ways, to ensure we are hearing the voice of the Veteran. 

The Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) data is one of the key tools VA uses to measure and improve the quality of the care and services we provide, and your feedback is helping VAPIHCS reach new heights. 

Thanks to the dedication of our outstanding staff and the valuable input from our Veterans, our 2025 Quarter 3 patient satisfaction data show a remarkable 100% overall improvement across all measures. We are proud to share that across all of VA, we are ranked number one for improvement in the nation. Not just this quarter, but for the last three consecutive quarters. Over the past eight quarters, our focus on the Veteran experience has led to sustained, meaningful progress, aligning us with national standards and ensuring that every Veteran receives the best care possible. 

We have also earned a 93.3 overall trust score, meaning that Veterans like you told us that when it comes to providing effective high-quality care, we are rated higher than the community. We appreciate that you’ve expressed strong trust in the care we deliver. 

The sum of all of the interactions that influence Veteran’s health care experience is what we call the patient experience and together - we are making it stronger than ever.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Awareness Month

It’s important to recognize how unhealthy relationships can significantly impact both physical and mental health. Intimate partner violence can manifest in various forms, including emotional, physical, and psychological abuse, leading to lasting effects on well-being. At VAPIHCS, our Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP) is here to provide the resources and support needed to ensure lifelong relationship health and safety for all Veterans and their partners.

We encourage you to reach out to your local VA health care team to discuss any concerns you may have regarding relationship health. If you or someone you know is in immediate need of help, please do not hesitate to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Your safety and well-being are our top priorities, and we are committed to ensuring that you have the support and resources you need to thrive.

2025 Distinguished Advocacy Award for Hepatitis Innovation

This week the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) announced that the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is the recipient of AASLD’s 2025 Distinguished Advocacy Award for its hepatitis C elimination program. We are proud of our VAPIHCS ohana, including our GI clinic staff, our Hepatitis C/ALD Care Coordinator Deanna Iwamoto, Dr. Sharon Chi, and Dr. Grace Gomes. Together, VA has treated and cured more than 85% of Veterans with HCV in just four years, setting the standard for everyone else to follow, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Indian Health Service, individual states, and, eventually, the entire U.S. None of this would have happened without their dedication and effort. 

Healthy Living Matters and Prevention Works

Taking proactive steps, like staying up to date with your vaccines and getting regular health screenings can make a lasting difference in your overall well-being. We especially encourage Veterans who may have been exposed to toxic substances, such as open burn pits, to stay informed about their health risks and take advantage of available screenings. 

Through the Making Advances in Mammography and Medical Options (MAMMO) Veterans Act and the Supporting Expanded Review for Veterans in Combat Environment (SERVICE) Act, VA has expanded access to clinically appropriate mammogram screenings for eligible Veterans based on their service and combat locations. These initiatives reflect our ongoing commitment to early detection, prevention, and whole-person care. 

Clinics Closed for Columbus Day

All our VAPIHCS clinics will be closed October 11, 2025, and October 13, 2025, in observance of the Columbus Day Holiday.

Thank you for choosing the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System—we are honored to care for you and remain dedicated to helping every Veteran live a healthier, stronger life.

Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles

An anchor provides ships with a level of stability and control against the sea’s almost overwhelming forces – forces that would otherwise take the ship in a direction that it never intended to go.  But the same way a ship needs an anchor to prevent it from drifting off course, we too, need anchors to keep us from being pulled away from what matters the most.

Priorities function like anchors. They can keep us from drifting away from what matters most. Priorities help us differentiate between what is good and what is essential. Priorities provide us with a sense of personal clarity, direction, and focus. Drifting often happens silently, slowly, gradually, and sometimes, unknowingly. And without regularly attending to our priorities, little by little, we can stray away from our intended path and find ourselves where we never intended to be. To drift, one does not have to reject what matters most, just simply neglect what’s most important.

The same way the wind can make the seas a busy, restless place, as its waters are constantly being tugged in different directions, we also can be tugged in a myriad of directions by life’s innumerable factors – leaving us constantly in motion, but continually away from our intended destination.

What matters most in your line of service? What matters most in your life? What’s your personal mission statement? How can you steward each moment to be in service to your ultimate purposes? Let’s allow our priorities to serve as our anchors, continually keeping us tethered to what’s most important.

One Team, One Ohana!

Thandiwe Nelson-Brooks, MPH, FACHE 

Interim Medical Center Director

VA Pacific Islands Health Care System