In effort to expand healthcare services, VA opens first telehealth station in Hawaii

There are more than 55,000 registered veterans living in Hawaii but not all of them live near a VA clinic.
Published: Nov. 10, 2022 at 6:23 PM HST|Updated: Nov. 10, 2022 at 7:04 PM HST
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - There are more than 55,000 registered veterans living in Hawaii but not all of them live near a VA clinic.

This can make getting access to healthcare challenging but a new program by the Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System is designed to bring healthcare services directly to vets.

It’s called a “telehealth station” — The first one opened earlier this month in Ocean View, Hawaii.

The idea is to have a place where the VA doesn’t have to bring doctors and nurses, just technicians who can operate the computer or tablets for the vets to access their telehealth services.

VA officials say they chose the area because of its distance from their two clinics in Hilo and Kona.

They hope it will remove a major roadblocks in getting veterans to use telehealth because of the learning curve.

“Talking to some of the guys yesterday that I ran into they said, it’s a good thing they just, you know, you got to get ma’a with things. Familiarize yourself with that,” said veteran Jim Cablay who lives in the area.

The VA plans to install more Telehealth Stations throughout the Pacific before deciding whether to expand in Hawaii.