The Department of Veterans Affairs said Friday that Jennifer Gutowski has been appointed the new director of the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System in Honolulu to oversee health care for more than 129,000 veterans.

The Pacific Islands system has not had a permanent director since February 2016, when Wayne Pfeffer abruptly resigned. He sent an email to the VA staff saying in part, “It has not been an easy decision for me; however, due to personal reasons, I am retiring and returning to the mainland.”

The system, which covers Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, has an operating budget of $310.8 million and more than 1,000 employees.

“We are excited to bring Ms. Gutowski on board as the new director of the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System,” Sheila Cullen, director of the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 21, made up of health care systems in Hawaii, California and Nevada, said in a release. “Her sound leadership qualities and proven experience will be valuable assets for the facility, the employees and volunteers, and most importantly, for the veterans we are honored to serve.”

The VA anticipates she will be at the facility within the next 45 to 60 days.

“Hawaii veterans have been waiting over a year for the VA to name a permanent health system director,” U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono said in a release. “I welcome (Friday’s) announcement, as Ms. Gutowski will need to hit the ground running to fill the gaps, including improving communication with Hawaii’s veterans community and addressing construction delays for facilities throughout the state.”

Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii aimed at remedying the problem of VA medical centers operating for extended periods without a permanent director recently passed unanimously in the House.

More than 20 VA medical centers across the country currently lack a permanent director, including some that have not been staffed by a permanent director in almost two years, according to Gabbard’s office. Interim directors are sometimes appointed for short stints.

Among other things, the VA Health Center Management Stability and Improvement Act would require the VA secretary to submit to Congress a plan to hire “highly qualified” medical directors for each medical center that lacks a permanent director within 120 days.

Gutowski, who holds a master’s degree in health care administration, began her VA career in 2001 as a health systems specialist at the VA Long Beach Health Care System. She was assistant medical center director at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Medical Center in Hines, Ill., and associate medical center director and acting director at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System in Tucson, Ariz., a 277-bed health care system serving more than 171,000 veterans, according to the VA. As acting director she was responsible for overseeing operations, clinical programs and finances of the health care system, which had an annual operating budget of $450 million and more than 2,500 employees, the VA said.

Six acting directors have rotated through at VA Pacific Islands, spokeswoman Amy Rohlfs said recently. The latest is Bonnie Graham, director of the San Francisco VA Health Care System. By rotating in directors from health care systems in Hawaii, California and Nevada that are part of the regional network, continuity was maintained across that network while allowing other directors to bring in their expertise, Rohlfs said in an email.

“This has been a win-win outcome during a very difficult recruitment and hiring process,” Rohlfs said.

A Sept. 22 health care inspection report of Pacific Islands by the VA inspector general found that “in addition to the logistical challenges of coordinating care spanning multiple islands and thousands of miles, leadership and staff consistently reported difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified employees due to the cost of living, distance and isolation of island life.”