01/30/2026
Aloha Veterans,
This week, I had the opportunity to visit the Kailua-Kona Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) to meet with our dedicated staff and community partners and participate in our Kona Community Call and the Veterans Town Hall. I’m grateful to the Veterans who took the time to attend, share their experiences, and engage in meaningful conversation. Meeting Veterans in person and hearing about their healthcare journeys, especially in Kona where many live in a rural and geographically isolated setting, was incredibly valuable.
Having recently arrived in Hawaii just over a month and a half ago, I am still very much in the learning phase. However, my previous experiences serving Veterans have shown me the unique challenges and strengths of delivering health care across rural and island communities. These experiences reinforce how important it is to listen closely to both our Veterans and staff. My goal is to continue visiting each CBOC, learning from our teams on the ground, and understanding the barriers they face so we can work together to improve access, coordination, and quality of care.
Looking ahead, I remain committed to continuing these conversations through future Veterans Town Halls and community outreach events across the Pacific. Hearing what matters most to you in each location helps guide our priorities and ensures we are delivering care that is responsive, respectful, and Veteran-centered. I am eager to keep learning, building relationships, and working alongside our staff and the Veteran community to strengthen the care we provide throughout the islands.
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The VA's Million Veteran Program (MVP) is already helping researchers better understand PTSD, depression, anxiety, and traumatic brain injury. Veterans can add to this vital research by taking the Military Experiences and Toxic Exposures Survey.
The new Military Experiences and Toxic Exposures Survey ask questions about military service and deployment history, occupations in and out of the military, military job tasks and deployment activities, exposure to toxic or hazardous substances while deployed, combat experiences, and other related questions.
All Veterans are invited to join the Million Veteran Program and take the survey at www.mvp.va.gov. If you prefer to join our program in person, call 866-441-6075 to make an appointment.
Not yet part of MVP? Learn more and join today at www.mvp.va.gov or call 1-866-441-6075.
Thoughts from Chaplain Richie Charles
One of the silent, almost miraculous scenes of nature occurs in the transformation that an earthbound, crawling caterpillar undergoes in its metamorphosis, transforming from a caterpillar to a fluttering butterfly. Although the emergence of a butterfly dancing through the air with vibrant wings of colors and grace may captivate our gaze, the transformative process that results in such beauty is far from glamorous.
When a caterpillar reaches its full size, it forms a protective casing known as a chrysalis. Within this hardened shell, something remarkable happens. The caterpillar initiates its transformation by digesting itself, releasing enzymes that dissolve most of its body. In this liquified form, only key structures are left intact. In fact, if you were to open the chrysalis at just the right time mid-construction, all one would see is a formless mass of fluid. But the caterpillar’s liquid form in this stage is what allows it to be reconstituted - eyes, wings, antennae are being formed as it molds into something new.
The caterpillar understands that, in order to become something better, it must become malleable, that is willing to become molded, willing to change.
Regardless of where we are in our life journey, we all can benefit from learning and growing in new ways. Even our challenges, if we allow them, can become some of our greatest teachers. But continual growth requires flexibility, openness, and humility. The process of facing our limitations and making adjustments may not always feel pleasant in the moment, but they are indispensable to emerging into our best selves. Growth may involve loosening our grip on what once felt certain, familiar, and safe, but the caterpillar’s surrender to the change process reveals that the benefit of change outweighs the momentary discomfort of the process of change.
Let’s draw inspiration from the caterpillar today and harness the power that flexibility can have in our growth journey.
One Team, One Ohana!
Thomas A. Steinbrunner, FACHE
Interim Executive Director
VA Pacific Islands Health Care System
