Work remains to support female vets
The director of the women’s program in Boston said the Department of Veterans Affairs has made progress addressing female vets’ issues, but still must do more to reach those looking for counseling, support and medical treatment.
“I think it’s starting to change, but I’d like to see more and more,” said Carolyn Mason Wholley, the women veterans program manager for the VA Boston Healthcare System.
The Herald reported yesterday that female veterans feel local VA hospitals should be doing a lot more to treat the fastest-growing demographic among vets. They described facilities that don’t have enough female primary care physicians and OB-GYNs, while counseling and addiction recovery groups are maledominated, and there is a lack of outreach targeting women.
“I think their perceptions are valid,” said Wholley. “There are places you’ll go in the VA where you are in a coed group. I think the VA needs to focus on what has been successful.”
Wholley cited the women’s imaging center in Jamaica Plain, which performs ultrasounds, mammograms, bone density tests and other procedures not found at every VA hospital.
There is also a women’s stress disorder team providing outpatient therapy for women in Boston, as
‘I think it’s starting to change, but I’d like to see more and more.’ — CAROLYN MASON WHOLLEY women veterans program manager for the VA Boston Healthcare System
well as an in-patient program in Brockton for women dealing with both posttraumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, she said.
“It’s very successful, and it’s really helped a lot of women,” said Wholley.
She said a renewed focus on female veterans began around 2009 when the Obama administration requested all VAs have a women’s program with a full-time director. But Wholley added that other changes have been more subtle.
“We’re looking at everything from who’s sitting at the front desk and how a person is greeted at the front door, to the color of paint on the wall and the arrangement of furniture in the room,” she added.
Female veterans told the Herald they didn’t know the VA was an option for them and Wholley conceded that marketing could be better targeted to women.
“I think that when we see a lot of the advertising on TV, we see it more male-oriented and I’d like to see more female-directed advertising,” she said. “But on the other hand, I know there’s been a huge effort and a lot of progress made.”
Wholley added that any female veteran interested in getting more information about the type of services they could get from the VA should contact the Women Veterans Call Center at 1-855-VA-WOMEN or online via anonymous chat at www.womenshealth. va.gov.