The Akaka Clinic started as the Advanced Leeward Outpatient Healthcare Access (ALOHA) project, taking over a decade to get to the groundbreaking stage on December 22, 2021. President Biden signed the bill naming the VA clinic after the late United States Senator Daniel Akaka on June 7th, 2022. Senator Akaka was an Army Veteran, the first Native Hawaiian elected to Congress who served for more than three decades, and champion for Veteran healthcare.
On April 8th, 2024, the Akaka VA Clinic formally opened to patients. The 88,000 sq ft facility cost $130 million to build and increases direct access to healthcare for Veterans on the west side of Oahu, and indirect access to Veterans across the entire Pacific.
Operations
The geographic catchment area of VAPIHCS across the Pacific.
The VA Pacific Islands Health Care System (VAPIHCS) is the facility that provides care for Veterans across the Pacific Islands. VAPIHCS comprises the Spark M. Matsunaga VA Medical Center located in Honolulu, and eight CBOCs across the Hawaiian Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. The Akaka Clinic is the largest CBOC, and provides the widest scope of medical services, of the eight CBOCs. VA is planning to extend care into the COFA states. This expansion increases the geographic coverage of VAPIHCS and its CBOCs to approximately 8.5 million sq miles, or more than twice the area of the continental United States.
^"Veterans Affairs breaks ground on a new $120M clinic in West Oʻahu". Hawaiʻi Public Radio. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for a $120 million project in Kalaeloa in West Oʻahu. The Advanced Leeward Outpatient Healthcare Access, or ALOHA, VA clinic is expected to open in late 2023.
^"President Biden signs bills to honor veterans, improve VA healthcare". Spectrum News. Beyond healthcare, Biden signed a number of highly symbolic or commemorative bills. One was to name a new out-patient clinic set to be opened in Oahu, Hawaii as the Daniel Kahikina Akaka VA Clinic. Akaka, whom Biden on Tuesday called a "great friend" and "one of the finest people I've ever served with," was in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II.
^"Veterans clinic named after Akaka". Spectrum News. It is expected that the new facility will ultimately reduce wait times, increase provider availability and ease traffic and parking challenges that veterans currently experience at Tripler Army Medical Center, where the Spark M. Matsunaga Veterans Affairs Medical Center is located.
^"Hirono Bill Naming ALOHA VA Clinic For Senator Daniel K. Akaka Signed Into Law". Senator Mazie K. Hirono Press Release. Today, President Joseph R. Biden signed into law legislation introduced by Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) to name the Advanced Leeward Outpatient Health Care Access (ALOHA) VA clinic—which is currently under construction on Oahu—after the late former Hawaii Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka. During his time in the Senate, Senator Akaka first spearheaded the project working alongside Hawaii veterans.
^"President Biden signs law naming new VA clinic on Oʻahu after 'dear friend'". Maui News. At the signing ceremony, President Biden said: "It is my honor to sign a bill that will name the new VA outpatient clinic that will be built in Hawaiʻi after a dear friend of mine and a former Senate colleague who I worked with – Danny Akaka." "Danny was a great friend. He was an Army veteran in World War II and a former Chair of the Committee on Veterans Affairs. One of the finest people I ever served with, he really was a man of great honor and integrity."
^"Groundbreaking held for new VA clinic in Kalaeloa". KHON2 News. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new VA clinic in Kalaeloa on Tuesday, Dec. 21. The new medical building is scheduled to open in late 2023.
^"VA Pacific Islands Health Care System is Expanding to West Side of Oahu". VA News. This week, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awarded the lease to locate the Advanced Leeward Outpatient Healthcare Access (ALOHA) project at Kalaeloa under a 15-year lease. When completed, the ALOHA Project will be a new 88,675 square-foot multi-specialty VA clinic that will provide Primary Care, Mental Health, Specialty Care, Audiology, Women Veterans Care, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Dental and Prosthetics.
^"New Akaka clinic already making a difference". VA News. On April 8, Pacific Islands VA opened the doors of the new Daniel Akaka VA Clinic in Kapolei. Completed on budget and on time, the $130 million, 88,675 square-foot outpatient clinic will provide primary and mental health care, x-ray, laboratory and diagnostic services, a pharmacy and specialty care for Veterans on Oahu and Veterans throughout the Pacific Islands who come here for care.
^"Congress Restores Federal Benefits To COFA Migrants As Part Of $7.1 Billion Aid Deal". Honolulu Civil Beat. The VA would no longer be restricted from providing services to veterans residing in the FAS, including through direct care from VA providers, such as via telehealth, or through contracts with community providers; shipping medications to the FAS," according to a press release. "And reimbursing veterans for travel from their home countries to the United States.
^"Accelerating Efforts to Improve Equity for Veterans". The Joint Commission Blog. At the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), health care equity has long been a concern, and we embraced The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) that launched on July 1, 2023. The NPSG, which addresses health care disparities as a quality and safety priority, has helped health care equity become deeply embedded into the quality and patient safety framework.
