Photo By Christie Smith | Connie Roth, Women Veterans Program Manager, works in her office on the main campus of...... read more read more
By Sgt. Christie Smith
Connie Roth manages an office in an historic building with two-toned wood grain floors, cream and sage walls with sections of exposed brick, and black and white historical photos lining the hallways. She greets her coworkers by name with a wave and a smile and she speaks
energetically about all the ways she wants to help her clients.
The problem for Roth is many of her potential clients don’t know she, her staff, or their office exists. Others may have misconceptions about how her office looks, feels and operates. And then there’s the fact that Roth isn’t allowed to advertise.
Roth is the Women Veterans Program Manager at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Central Iowa Health Care System in Des Moines, Iowa. She manages the specialized women’s clinic, where all the patients and staff are female.
“Our goal here is to make the environment as comfortable and as welcoming to women veterans as we can,” Roth said.
Women veterans now have their own, private waiting room and restroom. They’re greeted by a female clerk who checks them in, female nurses who take their vitals and female physicians who treat them.
The women’s clinic in Des Moines opened in 2010. It was previously a part of the primary care clinic, but Roth said the need for a female-only space was evident.
“I think for so many years [women] did not feel welcome,” she said.
She recounted several women veterans who told her they were ignored or overlooked at the VA because it was assumed they were spouses, mothers or daughters, rather than servicemembers.
Dr. Nisha Patel, one of two providers within the Des Moines women’s clinic, agreed women veterans benefit from specialized care.
“Let’s face it—we have a gender disparity, even in this day and age,” Patel said. “And I personally feel women veterans have suffered more due to gender disparity, on- and off-duty.”
In addition to routine women's health services, the clinic is also prepared to handle emergency situations which disproportionately affect women veterans.
According to the VA’s website, women are more likely than men to experience sexual assault and domestic violence and are more likely to blame themselves for traumatic experiences—factors which all lead to an increased risk for experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder. Women veterans are also more likely than non-veterans to experience traumatic events.
As program manager, Roth has considered every detail in developing the women’s clinic, from privacy, to accessibility, to comfort.
The clinic is situated right down the hall from the emergency room, convenient and private for victims of sexual assault. Patient rooms are equipped with privacy curtains and doors that lock from the inside and open away from the patient.
Exam tables are heated for comfort, and gowns and some medical equipment are kept in heated drawers. Floral artwork hangs on painted walls. Gift baskets for expecting moms and treat bags for visiting children are available, courtesy of volunteer groups.
The waiting room windows are wrapped in images of women veterans, so no one can look in from the outside. A photo of the lone female Medal of Honor recipient hangs in the hallway outside.
A psychologist on staff at the VA visits patients in the women’s clinic so there’s no need to leave the clinic to seek treatment. All of their staff attends training specific to women’s care.
The clinic provides what Roth describes as “comprehensive care” for women. Whatever the clinic cannot provide, like prenatal care or delivery, they refer to local experts or other VA facilities.
“We want to make sure whoever our veterans go to, is somebody who’s really proficient in what they’re doing,” Roth said.
The clinic is continuing to grow and advance. By September, the women’s clinic will offer 3-D mammography at no additional charge.
Patel said the clinic offers extended hours and a Saturday clinic on a rotational basis for a wider range of availability. They also have designated, on-site pharmacists providing gender-specific guidance and education. From check-in to prescription pick-up, women veteran patients will have specialized, targeted care.
“We will only stop growing if women stop entering the military,” Roth said. “As long as women are joining the service, we’re going to be here and we’re going to expand our services.”
Roth became the program manager in 2008, two years before the brick and mortar women’s clinic opened. Prior to that, she was a nurse in the “women’s clinic,” which operated as a subsidiary of the primary care clinic.
Roth spent several years as an occupational health nurse prior to joining the VA. She said she never imagined herself in her current position.
“Truly, I never expected to get into women’s health,” Roth said, “but I find it’s a really good place for me and I’m really excited about the things we do for women.”
Although she’s been able to help shape the clinic, advocate for expanded services for women veterans, and partner with other areas of the VA to help raise awareness for prominent women’s health issues like heart disease and breast cancer, Roth said the going hasn’t always been easy.
“There have been some challenges, you know, when you’re trying to create a space for women. Not everybody understands it,” she said. “I get veterans coming to my door [asking], ‘well, where is the men’s program?’
“You’ve always had a program. Now it’s time for the women,” she said.
In addition to health care, the women’s program offers a Women Veterans Recreation Group which sponsors, on average, two to three activities every month. The group, led by two of the VA’s recreational therapists, hosts events ranging from yoga classes, to overnight retreats, to movie nights and fly fishing lessons.
Currently, the women’s clinic is providing care for an estimated 26 percent of women veterans in the area. One reason some female veterans may not come to the VA for care, Roth said, is a misconception about the VA as a whole.
“I think sometimes we get a bad rap,” Roth said. When people come to the Des Moines VA for the first time, she said, they’re often pleasantly surprised, “I hear that a lot, that it’s not what people pictured.”
Another issue potentially keeping women veterans away, is a misunderstanding of eligibility.
According to the Veterans Health Administration, basic requirements of eligibility are: Two years of active duty service; deployment as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn; or be a survivor of Military Sexual Trauma.
Every veteran’s situation is unique, however, and women veterans are encouraged to call 1-800-827-1000, 515-699-5915, or 515-699-5888 to see if they qualify for VA care.
Veterans who live in the Des Moines-metro area can also visit Building 3 on the VA campus where the Eligibility Office (Rooms 1962 and 1964) can assist them.
| Date Taken: | 08.26.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2016 17:03 |
| Story ID: | 208337 |
| Location: | DES MOINES, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 244 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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