The Women Veterans Health (WVH) Strategic Health Care Group provides programmatic and strategic support to implement positive changes in the provision of care for all women veterans.

VA began providing medical and psychosocial services for women in 1988, when women represented 4.4 percent of all veterans. By 2010, women veterans are expected to make up more than 14 percent of the total U.S. veteran population.

As part of VA's readiness for the influx of new women veterans, the Women Veterans Health program was elevated to a Strategic Health Care Group within the Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards in 2007. In 2008, facilities received $32.5M in supplemental funding for investments in women's health equipment, training, and supplies (including DEXA scans, mammography machines, ultra-sound and biopsy equipment).

Program Mission

The WVH Strategic Health Care Group addresses the health care needs of women veterans and works to ensure that timely, equitable, high-quality, comprehensive health care services are provided in a sensitive and safe environment at VA health facilities nationwide. We strive to be a national leader in the provision of health care for women, thereby raising the standard of care for all women.

To fulfill this mission, the WVH Strategic Health Care Group works to make certain that all eligible women veterans requesting VA care are assured of:

• Comprehensive primary care by a proficient and interested primary care provider
• Privacy, safety, dignity, and sensitivity to gender-specific needs
• The right care in the right place and time
• State-of-the-art health care equipment and technology
• High-quality preventive and clinical care, equal to that provided to male veterans

Strategic Priorities

Our strategic priorities focus on six pillars designed to deliver the best health care services to all women veterans:

1. Comprehensive Primary Care for Women Veterans

   Women Veterans Health (WVHSHG) is coordinating closely with Primary Care Services to redesign the delivery of primary care to women veterans to include gender-specific care at every VA site. Ultimately, comprehensive primary care delivered by a single provider in the same location—including gender-specific care and mental health—will be the predominant model of care throughout the VA health care network.

2. Women's Health Education

   The WVHSHG partners with VA Employee Education Services (EES) to conduct mini-residencies in Women's Health. Each year beginning in 2008, four mini-residences take place across the country, training up to 160 primary care providers in contraception, abnormal uterine bleeding, post-deployment health issues, and other women's health topics.

   Work is ongoing with VA's Office of Academic Affiliations to support women's health fellowships and advanced clinical training in women's health. And, WVHSHG is working with the Office of Nursing Services to develop virtual simulation training on women's health for facility staff.

3. Reproductive Health

   In collaboration with VA experts, WVHSHG is tackling women's reproductive health issues. Reducing the risk of birth defects due to teratogenic medications is a top priority for WVHSHG. Other important efforts include improving follow-up of abnormal mammograms, tracking the timeliness of breast cancer treatment, and developing specific clinical action strategies for women with Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

4. Communication and Partnerships

   The WVHSHG is leading development of a VHA-wide communication plan focused on the intentional inclusion of women veterans. A national Women's Health Communications Workgroup develops and disseminates standardized outreach materials to raise awareness of the women veteran population and their unique needs. Enhanced web capabilities are continually being implemented to improve the transfer of information among field and leadership personnel.

   WVHSHG works closely with VA analysts and data specialists to ensure that women veteran populations are represented clearly in statistical data, including demographics, epidemiology, health status, and quality of care.

5. Women's Health Research

   VA Office of Research and Development (ORD) has a key role in documenting the health care needs and utilization of women veterans as well as their access and quality of care. Valuable information can be gained through risk assessments conducted on epidemiological data from women who served in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) and through the OEF/OIF Cohort Study.

   WVHSHG is also working to understand and eliminate quality disparities in performance measures of the care provided to male and female veterans.

6. Special Women Veteran Populations

   WVHSHG is working to ensure that the needs of all women veterans are addressed, including those populations that require special attention.

   • Rural and homebound veterans can benefit from emerging technology that will deliver care remotely through "e-clinics", mobile clinics, and home-based care services.
   • Women veterans with mental illnesses can benefit through integration of mental health services within primary care, so that necessary treatment is provided in a comprehensive and coordinated way. WVHSHG is also working to enhance the availability of woman-safe inpatient psychiatric acute units.
   • Aging women veterans can benefit from the latest advances in medical science and technology to identify and address cardiovascular disease as well as advances in treatments for diabetes, osteoporosis, and menopause.

Contact Us

Department of Veterans Affairs
Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group (13E)
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420

Woman veterans who are interested in receiving care at VA should contact the nearest VA Medical Center and ask for the Women Veterans Program Manager. Women Veterans Program Managers are designated at every VA medical center across the nation to advise and advocate for women veterans.