ALAMOSA — The Veterans Coalition of the San Luis Valley (VCSLV), a 501(c)3 non-profit’s mission is to “Honor and serve the needs of the SLV veterans and their families by facilitating timely access to current information, assistance, and resources.”

To that mission, the Veterans Coalition hosted its first Women Veterans Health Care Forum on February 27 at the SLV Health Foundation and Education Center in Alamosa.

The Forum was offered by the Coalition to begin a conversation between local women veterans, local Health Care providers, and VA representatives. Thirty women participated in this lively event that focused on current VA and non-VA health care offerings for SLV women who have served in the Armed Forces. Despite women being the fastest growing sector of the current military population (14 percent of the total in 2019), women veteran medical needs and benefits have historically been overlooked and underserved. In addition, women veterans are among the greatest number of homeless veterans.

Forum attendees included a diverse base of local women veterans. Veterans present were from World War II through those that served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Present also were SLV Health Care providers including key SLV Primary Care and Behavioral Health representatives.  Auxiliary service representatives included Volunteers of America (serving homeless veterans), La Puente Outreach (miscellaneous veteran services), American Legion Auxiliary (women veterans and spouses of veterans), and Visiting Angels (home health care services).

Participants from Adams State University Veterans Center and Trinidad State Junior College Student Services shared a discussion of “Green Zone” training developed to informed faculty and staff in support of veteran students. Participants were informed women veterans are becoming the greatest users of educational benefits after service. Congressional representatives from the offices of Senators Bennet and Gardner, and Representative Tipton, shared updates on legislation affecting veterans both women and men, and veteran families including child care assistance.

After a “Get to Know You” session, Mary Cornum, VCSLV’s office manager, provided technical assistance for a remote access session between Forum participants and the VA’s Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS) Women’s Health Center (WHC) in Aurora.  Volunteers Mary Carhartt and veteran Charity Ann Grable took a wide range of questions from the attendees and presented them to VA WHC representatives. Questions ranged from access to health care, transportation to appointments and reimbursement, to lighter portable oxygen concentrators. Sensitive subjects, such as PTSD and MST for women veterans, support for veteran caretakers, maternity and prenatal care, suicide prevention (women veterans commit suicide at greater rates than men), were addressed.

Other questions included current training in women veteran issues for VA and non-VA health care providers, to developing better relations with the Alamosa VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) and non-VA Health Care providers. Participants were especially interested in becoming more informed about the services provided by Nurse Practitioners at local clinics.

The afternoon session began with VCSLV providing lunch through Locavores, a local Alamosa restaurant, followed by break-out sessions to further discuss women veteran issues. Three outstanding women veteran specialists from the Denver/Colorado Springs region traveled all the way to Alamosa to participate in this special Forum. Dr. Diane Ricci (Army, Iraq), one of Colorado’s two Women Veteran Service Officers, offered detailed information about women veteran benefits. Laura Kelly (Army, Iraq), of Colorado Springs Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), spoke of piloting a veterans’ Drug Treatment Court and her experiencing developing a model for a Mobile Veteran’s Outreach Benefits Clinic. Tiffany Morgan (Navy, Persian Gulf), works as a Patient Care Manager for the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at CU’s Medical Clinic in Aurora. She spoke of how Private-Public health partnerships are essential to rural veteran health access.

Much positive feedback was provided at the end of the Forum. 

“It was a joy to work in such a collaborative way to prepare this Forum”, said Charlotte Bobicki, Vice President of the VCSLV Board of Directors. Sustaining this effort with strong relations, education, and action now begins. 

Anyone interested in learning more about the event or how to assist this effort is welcome to contact the VCSLV office at 719/992-4108 or [email protected].