VA Manchester Medical Center Upgrades Space for Care Of Women Veterans
Women are a growing segment of the veteran population. There are more than 2.1 million women veterans in the U.S. today. Between fiscal years (FYs) 2000 and 2023, the total percentage of women veterans increased from 6.3% to 11.3%, according to VA statistics. By 2043, 2.2 million women are projected to make up 17.2% of all living veterans.
For a number of reasons, women veterans have very different health care needs than their male counterparts. Laura Caisse, Women Veteran Program Manager at VA Manchester , says the goal of the expansion of women’s health services there is to have a dedicated, “one-stop shopping” space where all of the female veterans’ care can be provided, including behavioral health needs.
As reported in an earlier article on the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention website, the suicide rate for women veterans has been increasing at a faster rate than male veterans.
Female Veteran Needs
Female veterans are younger than male veterans and they may need gynecological or reproductive health care. From a mental health standpoint, female veterans often have experiences that may dissuade them from seeking treatment alongside males.
“Our main purpose is we want to make our women veterans feel safe and comfortable,” says Caisse. “Their experience in the military may have been very different [from men].”
Noting that suicide prevention is the VA’s number one clinical priority, Caisse says she frequently screens for mental health issues or suicide risk factors. “We have to normalize the conversation about suicide prevention. We are asking about lethal means precautions. The more we talk about it, the more we can normalize it. This lets female veterans know that someone cares about them.”
According to the VA, nationally less than 45% of women veterans have accessed its health care benefits, even though their rate of disability is higher. Caisse says that women vets are reluctant to use the VA for care for a multitude of reasons: “Sometimes they don’t seek care due to stigma or a negative experience while they were obtaining care while in the active military. I spend a lot of time in dialogue to create a safe place for these women. We want them to see that here and now they can get a different response.”
The changes being made to the physical space where care is delivered is part of that improved response. The existing women’s health clinic has been relocated from the sixth to the first floor.
“The new facility will be in the front of the building, with an expanded footprint, private waiting room and a place for groups to meet,” Caisse says. There will also be an expansion of the clinical space. When the new 9,000-square-foot clinic is completed, (the anticipated date is December 2025), there will be space for two full-time provider teams.
Caisse reminds her female patients that there is a dedicated call center for women vets at 855-VA WOMEN or 855-829-6636.