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Overview of Women Veterans in the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Callie Wight MA, RN GLAHS Women Veterans Program Manager March 8, 2012 March 7, 2012 1 cw.cg.eb2012

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Page 1: Wight callie

Overview of Women Veterans in the VA Greater Los Angeles

Healthcare System

Callie Wight MA, RNGLAHS Women Veterans Program Manager

March 8, 2012 March 7, 2012 1cw.cg.eb2012

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•Women comprise approximately: •14% of active duty military•18% of National Guard and Reserves•6% of VA health care users

•Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom

•48% of female OEF/OIF veterans have enrolled with VA health care, 44% of whom have used VA health care 2-10 times

•Increasing recognition of Women Veterans’ unique and complex health needs—influx of younger Women Veterans of childbearing age

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Need increasing capacity

Cohort: Women and men Veteran VHA users in year. Women in FY09: N=292,921; Men in FY09: N=4,846,869.Source: WHEI analysis of ADUSH Monthly Enrollment Files, FY00–FY09..

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• Influx of younger women• Maternity care• Mental health• Service-connected disabilities• Privacy, safety, convenience

• Older women (largest sub-population of female VA users)

• Menopausal needs• Geriatric care• Inpatient/extended stays

Increasing Demand

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VA women users have heavier health burdens• VA cares for a sicker women Veteran

population compared to healthcare settings outside of the VA.

• Women Veterans have higher rates of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases.

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Age distribution among women Veteran VHA patients, FY09

7Cohort: Women Veteran VHA users who have non-missing ages between 18 and 110 years old (inclusive) in year. N=159.548 in FY00, N=292,878 in FY09. Source: WHEI analysis of ADUSH Monthly Enrollment File, FY09.March 7, 2012 cw.cg.eb2012

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Age group of Veteran patients, by gender, FY09

8Cohort: Women and men Veteran VHA users who have non-missing ages between 18 and 110 years old (inclusive) in FY09. Women: N=292,894; Men: N=4,846,792. Source: WHEI analysis of ADUSH Monthly Enrollment Files, FY09..

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Service-Connected Status, FY00 vs FY09Women Veteran VHA patients

Cohort: Women Veteran VHA users with non-missing SC values in year. N=158,160 in FY00, N=292,108 in FY09.Source: WHEI analysis of ADUSH Monthly Enrollment Files, FY00 and FY09.

Majority have SC rating

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Service-Connected Status: Women vs. MenVeteran VHA patients

Cohort: Women and men Veteran VHA users with non-missing SC values in FY09. Women: N=292,108; Men: N=4,838,232.Source: WHEI analysis of ADUSH Monthly Enrollment File, FY09.

More women eligible for VHA care

for SC conditions. 10March 7, 2012 cw.cg.eb2012

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Based on 1+ instance of an ICD-9 code in FY08

Top 8 Conditions in Women Veterans

-Common medical conditions amenable to intervention include cardiovascular risk factors and painful conditions-Health services delivery systems must take varying needs of different age groups into account

Frayne SM. VA Women’s Health Evaluation Initiative. VA HSR&D Women’s Health Services Research Conference in Washington DC July, 2010.

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# of Mental Health Visits, by Age Group, Women vs. Men (FY09)

Cohort: Women and men Veteran VHA outpatients who have non-missing ages between 18 and 110 years old (inclusive) in FY09. Women: N=287,436; Men: N=4,747,995. Sources: WHEI analysis of ADUSH Monthly Enrollment File, FY09; VA outpatient utilization file (SE), FY09.

Heavy use of mental

health services

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Privacy, Safety, Dignity• A chaperone must be present at all gender

specific exams, procedures, or treatments and when requested by a female Veteran for any visit, regardless of the gender of the provider. Whenever a woman is disrobed.

• The health care environment directly and indirectly affects the quality of care provided to women Veterans. It affects their comfort and sense of security, as well as their perceptions of care received. Measures must be taken to maintain and adjust care environments to support their dignity, privacy, and security.

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Homelessness & Women VeteransGAO Report (GAO 12-182)

• number of women veterans identified as homeless more than doubled,

• from 1,380 in fiscal year 2006 to 3,328 in fiscal year 2010. • almost two-thirds were between 40 and 59 years old and

over one-third had disabilities. • many of these women resided with their minor children.

• Female Veterans are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population

• Women who are Veterans are at much higher risk of homelessness than male counterparts• Source: Vasquez, S. Homelessness Among Women Veterans PowerPoint presentation;

July 2011 National Summit on Women Veterans. http://www.va.gov/WOMENVET/2011Summit/

VasquezFINAL.pdf

• VA Homeless Programs Serve Women Veterans

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MST Among Homeless, Female VHA Users FY10

• 38.7 % of homeless women VHA users screen positive for MST

• 87.2% of homeless women VHA users had at least one MST-related Mental Health Encounter

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Source: Vasquez, S. Homelessness Among Women Veterans PowerPoint presentation; July 2011 National Summit on Women Veterans. http://www.va.gov/WOMENVET/2011Summit/VasquezFINAL.pdf

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Military Sexual Trauma (MST)Defined by the Department of Veterans Affairs as:

• Sexual harassment that is threatening in character or

• Physical assault of a sexual nature

• Which occurred while the victim was in the military,

• Regardless of geographic location of the trauma, gender of victim, or the relationship to the perpetrator.

• And as interpreted by the veteran

• VACO policy is that VA clinicians address the substantial physical and mental illness that can follow MST.

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How Does Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Affect Veterans?• Across a range of studies, Veterans with

histories of MST report:• More mental health problems (e.g., anxiety, depression and

substance abuse disorders)

• More physical health symptoms and conditions

• More problems readjusting after discharge

• Mental and physical health conditions that can contribute to difficulties with employment (e.g., problems with concentration, difficulty sleeping, physical pain)

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Source: Vasquez, S. Homelessness Among Women Veterans PowerPoint presentation; July 2011 National Summit on Women Veterans. http://www.va.gov/WOMENVET/2011Summit/VasquezFINAL.pdf

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Trauma-informed Care« Trauma-informed care can include

• family education on how trauma impacts behavior, cognitions, and mood

• development of family skills to deal with memories of trauma and traumatic symptoms

• families are provided with tools for bonding when presented with traumatic reminders

*National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence

Resources: National Child Traumatic Stress Network nctsn.org, https://www.childwelfare.gov/responding/trauma.cfm, SAMHSA National Center for Trauma Informed Care http://www.samhsa.gov/nctic/default.asp

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MST Among OEF/OIF Veterans• No good prevalence data, but we know MST is

occurring • Particular issues to consider:

• Trauma is recent, reactions are acute

• Interaction between combat exposure and MST is unclear

• How TBI may affect treatment is unclear

• Issue of compounded stressors, particularly while away from home and support network

• DoD’s new policies and programs are an improvement, but are still new/untestedMarch 7, 2012 20cw.cg.eb2012

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Childbearing age veterans• Optimize control of chronic health conditions

• Safe prescribing education for all providers

• Pre-pregnancy care/screening by primary care providers for all women of childbearing age

• Address contraceptive options for women of childbearing age

• Counsel women regarding use of potential teratogenic medications

• Assessment of lifestyle habits such as smoking, alcohol or drug use, and sexual history

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Pregnancy

• In a study of women Veterans of OEF/OIF, who were less than 50 years old, and used VA, from 2001-2008:• 43,078 women returned from deployment

• 2,966 (7%) had a pregnancy during the time period

March 7, 2012 23Source: Mattocks, 2011, Journal of Women's Health.

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Increasing VHA utilization by women Veterans

Growing demand for PC

and MH services

24Berg E, Laungani K, Friedman SA, Phibbs CS, Herrera L, Hayes PM, Frayne SM. The Decade in Review: Trends in Outpatient Utilization among Women Veterans. Poster Presentation at the VA HSR&D Research Conference in Washington DC Feb, 2011

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Thanks to« Laurie C. Zephyrin MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG« Director, Reproductive Health,Women Veterans Health Strategic

Health Care Group« Susan Frayne MD, MPH

Center for Health Care Evaluation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford University

« Sally Haskell, MD« Associate Professor of Medicine, Yale University School of

Medicine, Acting Director, Comprehensive Women’s Health« Women Veteran’s Health Strategic Healthcare Group « Patricia M. Hayes, Ph.D« Chief Consultant, Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care

Group

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Sources include

« Sourcebook: Women Veterans in the Veterans Health Administration - Volume 1 (December 2010)

« Frayne SM. VA Women’s Health Evaluation Initiative. VA HSR&D Women’s Health Services Research Conference in

Washington DC July, 2010

« Berg E, Laungani K, Friedman SA, Phibbs CS, Herrera L, Hayes PM, Frayne SM. The Decade in Review: Trends

in Outpatient Utilization among Women Veterans. Poster Presentation at the VA HSR&D Research Conference in

Washington DC Feb, 2011

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