Hampton VA Center expands care for women [Daily Press, Newport News, Va.]

Nov. 30--Veterans' care is changing thanks to the increase in the number of young women joining their ranks. Women now make up more than 17 percent of the veteran population at the Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center, with 10,137 enrolled in the facility as of fiscal year 2011.

Of those, more than 6,000 are presently active users of its services, according to Jennifer Askey, public spokeswoman and congressional liaison for the center. The Hampton center is fourth in the nation for the number of women veterans in its service area.

In a recent internet chat, representatives of the center answered questions about the expanded care the center is offering.

Q: Tell us about the additions to the VA center.

A: We are very excited to announce ribbon cuttings for the new mammography service and the recently constructed Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn Clinic Building.

Q: What has changed in terms of services for women?

A: Significant increases in women veterans were observed with the return of OEF/OIF/OND Veterans. Many of the women veterans are younger and different care needs are required for them, such as prenatal needs and extended clinic hours.

For mammography, we have relied upon our community partners in caring for our veterans located on the Peninsula and the Southside. ... Now the majority of the services will be provided on site. The newly developed mammography program is a state-of-the-art unit. We have a digital unit; digital mammography is the community standard.

Q: Who qualifies for a mammogram and how long do you have to wait?

A: On an average, appointments for mammograms are scheduled within 14 days of request by the provider. Most insurance covers annual screening for mammography regardless of age.

Q: Who is eligible for VA care?

A: Eligibility is a complex issue and we advise any veteran interested in services to contact us at 757-722-9961, or visit our website at http://www.hampton.va.gov.

Q: Why the addition of a freestanding clinic?

A: The original OEF/OIF/OND (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan) module clinic was opened in 2005 as an addition to our facility. The numbers in this veteran population group have jumped 18 percent from 2010 to 2011, and we are now addressing the needs of over 10,000 veterans (from these theaters).

Of that population 77 percent are male and 23 percent are female users. In fact the Hampton center is the second-highest enrollment facility in the Mid-Atlantic, second only to Fayetteville, N.C.

Q: How else has care changed?

A: Caring for younger veterans has required us to become innovative in terms of how we provide access to care. Integrating technology and innovative communication like My HealtheVet and the secure messaging component we encourage all veterans to enroll in. In fact we were recently recognized as one of the nation's top 100 wired facilities, the article for which can be found on our Facebook site, http://www.facebook.com/hamptonvamc.

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