Female veterans in the Saginaw, Michigan area are invited to attend a Women’s Health Fair from 10 AM until 2 PM at the Aleda E. Lutz VAMC Auditorium, in Room 1-1370 this Thursday the 25th.
In fact, all women in the community are welcome to attend, and children are welcome to tag along. The cost is FREE. Those seeking information about disease prevention, healthy lifestyles, parenting resources and other health-related topics should definitely put this in their calendar.
In addition, there will be massage therapists on site, as well as yoga demonstrations and free educational materials. Who doesn’t love free stuff? [There will also be free refreshments!]
Women vets are without argue faced with a number of different health concerns than their male counterparts. The VA, as many female veterans know, often struggles to meet their unique needs. The VA provides a number of female-specific healthcare services to women vets, including screening for female cancers and mammograms, maternity care, and more. However, as the number of females in the military continues to increase, some say that the VA must readjust their approach to serving this group of enlisted and veterans.
The VA reports that, in 2007, about 7% of veterans were women in their late forties. This makes the average age of female vets about twenty years younger than male veterans, and women in their late thirties to early fifties require unique care. And, as of 2008, 11% of Iraq and Afghanistan vets were women. About 44% of all female Iraq/Afghanistan vets were receiving healthcare services from the VA, and almost that same percent had utilized VA services more than once [Source: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/womenshealth/facts.asp].
Iraq and Afghanistan vets of both sexes are still faced with the risk of asbestos exposure, much like vets who served during WWII, in Vietnam, and Korea. Asbestos is the only determined cause of mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer that affects the mesothelium, or lining of the internal organs. The majority of vets who suffer from asbestos cancer are diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, which manifests in the lining of the lungs, but many have also died as a result of peritoneal mesothelioma, or cancer of the lining of the abdomen.
30% of all veterans diagnosed with this illness served in the Navy, and the number of mesothelioma navy cases remain the highest. It is important to remember, though, that servicemen and women from all branches are at risk.
To learn more about the Women’s Health Fair, please visit http://ow.ly/18hSj or call 989-497-2500 extension 11468 to speak with Sue Calentine, Women Veterans Program Manager at the Saginaw, MI VA.
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