During a month when the focus of the country has turned to breast cancer awareness and women’s health care in general, a report released by the Government Accountability Office admits that the state of health care for female vets at veteran’s facilities throughout the country is less than adequate.
While the study reports that most Department of Veterans Administration (VA) facilities offer basic services for veterans of the female persuasion, such as gynecological exams, many lack a number of other fundamental elements, such as private check-in areas for women, exam rooms that provide an appropriate degree of privacy, and even rest rooms with sanitary napkin dispensers. As a matter of fact, only about one-third of all VA treatment centers offer a separate space for women to receive gynecological, mental health and social work services, according to Patricia Hayes of the Women's Veterans Health Strategic Healthcare Group.
There are currently 1.8 million female veterans in the United States with an average age of about 47. A large portion of these women consistently seek health care services from Veterans Administration facilities but are often disappointed when their expectations aren’t met.
Historically, this isn’t the only area in which VA hospitals and other government healthcare facilities have fallen short. The VA has failed to meet the needs of veterans in the past as well, including those who were injured by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War and those who worked in asbestos-laden World War II shipyards and later developed mesothelioma. Mesothelioma navy veterans often needed to fight for their rights for benefits as victims of this disease, which was acquired during their service to the country, and were often disappointed in the VA’s response to their dilemma.
As Veteran’s Day approaches, physicians like Dr. Harvey Pass of the New York University Division of Thoracic Surgery continue to treat veterans who suffer from mesothelioma developed due to exposure during military service. Dr. Pass, founder of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, concentrates on early detection research, which will allow veterans who were exposed to asbestos to receive a diagnosis before it’s too late to treat the disease successfully.
Nearby at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, doctors there continue to look for new ways to treat the disease. The Sloan Kettering mesothelioma program is one of the best in the country and an excellent place for veterans to turn to learn more about clinical trials and treatment options for this aggressive disease.
