The headquarters for Hawaii's VA Pacific Islands Health Care System is adjacent to Tripler Army Medical Center on Oahu. (Courtesy photo)
Amy Rohlfs
VA Pacific Islands Health Care System
HILO, Hawaii -- VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) pleased to announce that the Hilo Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) has completely relocated to a larger, newly-refurbished facility. As of Dec. 16, all care will be provided at the new CBOC located at 45 Mohouli Street Hilo, HI. 96720.
“Opening this CBOC is part of the continuing effort to provide world-class health care closer to where more Veterans live said, Jennifer Gutowski, director VAPIHCS, “Community-based clinics are key to providing Veterans better access to high-quality care closer to home, by reducing the distance Veterans have to travel, we hope more Veterans will benefit from the health care services they have earned through their service to our Nation.”
VAPIHCS is committed to providing timely access to a broad range of medical care services, serving an estimated 55,000 Veterans throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. VAPIHCS provides outpatient medical and mental health care through our main Ambulatory Care Clinic on Oahu (Honolulu) and through seven Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) including: West Oahu, Hawaii (Hilo and Kona), Maui, Kauai, American Samoa and Guam.
Traveling clinicians also provide episodic care on Lanai and an Internist residing on Molokai provides medical care 3 days a week at the Molokai Rural Health Center. Mental health care is provided by traveling clinicians from the Maui CBOC.
Long term and transitional rehabilitative care services are provided by the VA 60-bed Center for Aging, located on the Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) grounds. VA staffed inpatient psychiatric care and partial hospitalization care are also provided within a 20-bed VA operated ward in Tripler Army Medical Center.
A 12-bed VA Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Residential Rehabilitation Program operates in its temporary site within Tripler Army Medical Center. Medical inpatient care for Veterans is provided by VA hospitalists and Department of Defense (DoD) physicians in TAMC through a VA/DoD sharing agreement, or through non-VA care providers in the community.
We have continued to increase access through Connected Care Services in the Pacific Islands, and currently have more than 16% of Veterans receiving some form of TeleHealth service. In the past year, we nearly quadrupled the number of Veterans who have had TeleHealth visits in the comfort of their own home (or non-VA location), even in our most remote areas
Home Based Primary Care is provided on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii (Hilo and Kona),Kauai (Lihue), Maui and Guam. Community-Based Outpatient Clinics. In addition to the Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center and the Geriatrics, Rehabilitation, and Extended Care Center, the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System also has community based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) located in: Agana Heights, Guam, Leeward, Oahu, Hilo, Hawaii, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, Kahului, Maui, Lihue, Kauai, Pago Pago, American Samoa
Visit https://www.hawaii.va.gov/ and https://www.facebook.com/VAPacificIslands.