VA to hold outreach for women veterans
Female veterans will have the opportunity to attend a Veterans Administration event tailored to them, where they can experience a one-stop-shop of vital healthcare information.
The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System will hold outreach events exclusive to women veterans on June 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The events will take place at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center in Bay Pines, as well as the Lee County Healthcare Center in Cape Coral.
Organizers state the outreach is being held to inform and educate women veterans about gender-specific medical and mental health services available to them through VA, enroll them for VA’s medical benefits package, assist with disability claims, and more. All women veterans and their loved ones are encouraged to attend at no cost.
“It’s really a terrific opportunity to find out if you’re eligible for VA care,” said Donna Sherman, a licensed clinical social worker and the Bay Pines VA Women Veteran Program manager. “And also, if you’re already enrolled, you can see if you’re eligible for increased service connection due to our PACT Act screening, which will be provided at both locations.”
The outreach event on June 29 will see representatives from VA radiology, mammography, social work, intimate partner violence program, suicide prevention program, eligibility staff, full health staff, women veteran program, FGVA, and the VA’s clinical contact center (24-hour hotline).
The PACT Act is a law that expands VA health care and benefits for veterans who were exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances.
“Women can conveniently jump into our programs, find out quickly what they might be eligible for, meet some of the staff that we have and community providers that we work with, and make an informed decision,” Sherman added.
Women veterans represent the fastest- growing population of VA users in the nation. The Bay Pines VAHCS currently serves about 11,000 women patients. Nationally, nearly 1 million women use the VA for their medical and mental health care, or 11 percent of all VA users, officials said.
As for how this event helps bridge the gap between the VA and women veterans, Sherman said, “It’s a lot easier when you actually meet staff hands-on, face-to-face. You develop that beginning relationship. Somebody explains it to you. You don’t have to read the fine-print or get through a complex document. Someone can shepherd you through a complex process.”
Sherman said the VA wanted to tailor this event for female veterans because “women sometimes may not perceive that they are a veteran, even though they served in the military.
“Sometimes women feel a little hesitant to go into this large government hospital space; might feel a little bit nervous. We want them to know that we have set up huge programs that are especially for them to take advantage of and to get the healthcare they so deserve as a result of having served.”
Sherman, a 16-year VA employee, said the VA has worked hard to ensure women veterans are comfortable and understood when they seek assistance, especially for those ages 54 to 65.
“These are women that I call the trailblazing group, because they were among the first recent women to enroll in the military, and they may have been the only women in their military group,” she said. “That creates a different kind of stress, especially when you combine that with combat situations, foreign country situations and so forth. And I think some of those experiences may have been a little harder to process for them. They want to feel that they’re not the only woman veterans coming to VA. They want to feel that there are other women here and we have healthcare that’s set up specifically for them.”
Sherman said a lot of veterans, including female veterans, don’t always realize what benefits and coverages are out there for them. Hosting events such as the upcoming outreach expos just for women, that can help remove any barriers to attend.
“And hopefully once they get there, they can put faces to names and faces to services, and evaluate for themselves what their level of comfort is and whether they think it would be worthwhile to engage with VA,” Sherman said.
Many female veterans are more comfortable talking to and working with a female doctor or healthcare employee, and more than 50% of Bay Pines employees are female.
“But what we’ve done in primary care is really terrific,” Sherman said. “Primary care providers who are specially trained in women’s health — many of them are women. Some are men. This way veterans have a choice. It’s basically a one-stop shopping experience where they can get all of their preventative care, and all of their gender-specific care all in one spot rather than go to two different appointments.”
The VA has added additional services just for women, such as specially trained women’s providers in the areas of psychology, social work, pharmacy, physical therapy, nursing, and more.
“It’s a whole team of people,” Sherman said. “And then we have the woman veteran program where we will have all different kinds of events for women that give up-to-date information about women’s healthcare issues, provide opportunities for women to meet and socialize with one another. Opportunities to be honored in different ways for their service.”
There is currently a photography display program ongoing at every Bay Pines VA location, where six different female veteran photos and stories are on display. They are updated every six months to honor as many female vets as possible.
Bay Pines even hosts baby showers, with one having taken place at the Cape Coral location this past April.
“We want to make sure that women know we’re here for them, and that this is their day,” Sherman said.
Lee County Healthcare Center is at 2489 Diplomat Parkway, East, in Cape Coral. The C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center is at 10000 Bay Pines Blvd.in Bay Pines.
To learn more about women veterans health services and how to apply for care, visit www.va.gov/health-care/health-needs-conditions/womens-health-needs/.
To reach CJ HADDAD / cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com, please email