Female vets see improvement in VA care

When Air Force veteran Heather King first entered the VA health care system 16 years ago, she was not impressed. But in recent years, she has seen significant improvements.

King was among about 70 women at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center’s annual tea party for female veterans Thursday.

“They’ve gotten better at what they’ve done,” she said. “I’ve gotten away from student doctors and gotten actual medical doctors.”

The tea party is in its third year and is planned in conjunction with National Women’s Health Week. The hospital’s Women’s Health Clinic uses the tea party to educate female veterans about the services available to them at the center.

Maryalice Morro, the director of the medical center, welcomed the women and offered health advice that ranged from wearing seat belts to having a positive attitude. She then helped serve refreshments.

Morro said female veterans make up about 10 percent of the hospital’s clients, and that number is growing steadily. She served in the Navy as a nurse and noted that when she joined she could not serve on a ship because she was a woman. Those barriers have been erased today.

“More and more, women have more and more opportunities in the services, and that’s creating a much higher percentage of female veterans,” she said. “I think right now women comprise at least 25 percent, if not more, of the total (military) forces, so I think certainly you are going to see that footprint in the veteran population increase.”

Other female vets at the event also said they have seen positive changes at the VA.

Lisa Lemons, of Dublin, served four years each in the Army and Air Force. She started going to the VA in 2010 and said she has seen significant improvements since then.

“The communication with veterans has gotten better, and the ability to get appointments sooner has definitely improved,” she said.

She said she has seen the VA put more emphasis on the needs of female veterans, including dealing with military sexual trauma.

“That issue used to be taboo, but now they are dealing with it more appropriately,” she said.

Mary Hudson of Wrightsville served in the Army Reserve and deployed for 10 months as a part of the first Gulf War. She first entered the VA system in 1996 and saw few other women there are the time.

“It’s way different now,” she said. “You get better service. I love the care.”

The Women’s Health Clinic opened in 2009, and patient growth has gone up 10 percent each year for the past five years, according to figures provided by the VA. The clinic currently has 4,311 women enrolled and 2,624 active users. It has a full-time gynecologist and a nurse practitioner, as well as other staff.

Angela Williams, the clinic manager, said the VA is putting more emphasis on dealing with issues specific to female veterans.

“It has definitely evolved,” she said of women’s care. “Women were not considered when they built the VA. We have more women entering and exiting the military now, so therefore we have to address their needs.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Female vets see improvement in VA care."