Women Veterans Program

The Women Veterans Health Program is committed to addressing the health care needs of women veterans and insuring quality, timely and compassionate health care at all VA facilities.

The following services for women veterans are available at ALL VA facilities in the network either on-site or through referral to other VAs or community settings: 

• Primary Care       
• Preventive Health screenings       
• All gender-specific care, including breast and cervical cancer screening       
• Reproductive health care, including maternity care and infertility evaluation       
• Osteoporosis evaluation and treatment

Health education is available for a variety of women’s health issues such as: 

• Breast self-exam        
• Cardiac fitness        
• Nutrition and weight loss        
• Family planning

VA’s Women Veterans Health Program -Providing services with an emphasis on:

• Quality      
• Privacy      
• Dignity        
• Respect

VA has expertise in a wide range of psychosocial concerns of women veterans - Counseling and programs are available for:  

• Sexual trauma        
• Substance abuse        
• Homelessness        
• Domestic Violence        
• Employment

There are eight  Women’s Comprehensive Health Centers  in the United States. Southeast Pennsylvania hosts one of them, which is a consortium of hospitals including Philadelphia, Wilmington, Coatesville , and Lebanon VAMCs. These centers develop new and enhanced programs focusing on the unique health care needs of women veterans. 

In the western portion the network, the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System's Women Veterans Health Program was recently named a national Clinical Center of Excellence.  The center offers a unique aspect of care for women veterans:  the "one stop shop" approach.   This approach combines a range of services within the convenience of the women’s health clinics, including primary care, gynecology, psychology and social work.

Improvements made for women veterans in VA have also benefited men. Privacy concerns have taken on a new course. Improvements for providing women a private comfortable health care environment have resulted in a more respectful setting for both men and women.

A number of women veterans were victims of sexual assault while serving on active military duty. A 1996 Department of Defense survey cited 55% of military women reported that they had received uninvited and unwanted sexual attention. The VA provides priority counseling for sexual trauma and related health care services to eligible women veterans. It is now recognized that men, too, may need such services.  As a result, counseling services are also offered to men who experienced military sexual trauma.

Some of the links below leave the Department of Veterans Affairs Website. The VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of any of these non-VA links.  (Disclaimer)

Internet Resources:
VA Programs and Initiatives for Women Veterans
The National Women's Health Information Center
VA Women Veterans Health Program