March/April 2010 VAnguard - Women Veterans Health Program
Understandably, most VA health care facilities were built with men in mind. For decades, the system was accustomed to serving mostly men -- as recently as 1998, women represented only 4.4 percent of all Veterans. Now the landscape is changing and more women Veterans, young and old, are turning to VA for health care.
Transforming Health Care for Women Veterans
The Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group has set a goal of ensuring that all women Veterans receive timely, equitable, high-quality health care services at VA facilities. This significant effort involves everything from the abstract -- changing the perception that VA health facilities serve only men -- to the concrete -- making certain that facilities have the necessary women's health equipment and can offer women adequate privacy.
Specifically, the Women Veterans Health mission is to make certain that all eligible women Veterans requesting VA care are assured of:
- comprehensive primary care by a proficient and interested primary care provider;
- privacy, security, dignity and sensitivity to gender-specific needs;
- the right care in the right place and time;
- state-of-the-art health care equipment and technology; and
- highest quality preventive and clinical care, equal to the high levels of care provided to male Veterans.
Despite the enormity of the task, Women Veterans Health has made progress on many fronts. In 2008, facilities received $32.5 million in supplemental funding for investments in women's health equipment, training and supplies. That same year, a VA work group released recommendations for delivering comprehensive primary care to women, and Women Veterans Health began working with Veterans Integrated Service Networks across the country to identify how they would improve care for women.
A significant boost for the program was the 2008 requirement that every VA facility have a Women Veterans Program Manager dedicated full time to overseeing women's health. These providers had often previously had multiple other duties. Now they are a critical link in the Women Veterans Health Program, advocating for women Veterans at the facility level and implementing key strategies in support of the Women Veterans Health mission.
Raising the Standard of Care for All Women
Ultimately, the Women Veterans Health program aims to elevate the Veterans Health Administration to a position of national leadership in the provision of health care for women and, through that success, raise the standard of care for all women. Much work remains to be done.
Performance metrics show gaps between the quality of care that women and men receive at VA. Some women Veterans are forced to travel long distances to reach a VA facility that offers appropriate care. And misconceptions about--and by--women Veterans still exist.
Many women Veterans believe that they must have served overseas or in a war zone before they can be called "Veterans," regardless of the number of years served.
These women are less likely to identify with VA or come to a VA facility for health care, even when they lack other health care options.
The Women Veterans Health program branding and outreach efforts focus on changing this. The tagline of the Women Veterans Health brand, "She served, she deserves ...," is included on all program materials distributed inside and outside VA facilities throughout the nation. Women Veterans Program Managers at each facility are collaborating with Veterans groups and programs in their communities to educate women Veterans about VA services available to them.
"The significance of branding the program can't be overlooked," said Women Veterans Health Chief Consultant Patty Hayes. "It is important that when a woman walks into a VA facility, she sees images of women Veterans like herself. And the program should represent a consistent set of services and level of quality that she can expect at any VA facility across the nation."
Tackling Misconceptions and Culture Change
The Women Veterans Health program is also tackling misconceptions that are internal to VA.
"The confusion about what role women play in war today extends beyond the general public. Even VA employees are still sometimes unclear about the nature of modern warfare, which presents challenges for women seeking care," said Kayla Williams, an Army Veteran, addressing the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in July 2009. "For example, being in combat is linked to post-traumatic stress disorder, but since women are supposedly barred from combat, they may face challenges proving that their PTSD is service-connected. It is vital that all VA employees, particularly health care providers, fully understand that women do see combat."
For the first time in years, VA Central Office is providing the field with expertise in areas integral to women's health care, including comprehensive health care, education and reproductive health. Nearly 400 providers across VA have completed "mini-residencies" in women's health, and five mini-residencies are scheduled for this year.
VA is committed to providing the highest quality care to every woman Veteran, whether she served her country six months ago or six decades ago, said Hayes.
For more information about the Women Veterans Health initiative, http://www.publichealth.va.gov/womenshealth/news.asp
