Mission Unaccomplished
Friday, July 29, 2011 at 1:58PM Clinicians discuss the importance of the health needs of female veterans.
Women are the fastest growing segment in the U.S. military, already accounting for approximately 14 percent of deployed forces. According to statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 20 percent of new recruits and 17 percent of Reserve and National Guard forces are women. As the number of women continues to grow in the military, so does the need for health care specifically targeted to their unique concerns.
Historically, lower rates of female veterans have used the VA system. "Research has shown that women didn't define themselves as veterans in the past, and this is changing," said Antonette Zeiss, PhD, a clinical psychologist and acting chief for Mental Health Services at the VA Central Office in Washington, DC.
"Women are among the fastest growing segments of new VA users, with as many as 44 percent of women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan electing to use the VA compared to 11 percent in prior eras," said Sally Haskell, MD, acting director of Comprehensive Women's Health at the VA Central Office. Continue reading
Source: Advance, July 20, 2011
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