Fortiani» (Observer
Page 6
ARMED FORCES
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S p e c i a l
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E d it io n
O ctober 27, 2010
r
Veterans Benefits fa r Women
c o n t i n u e d f r o m front
serv ices.
“ E verything from m edicinal
needs to exam table needs is
different for m en and w om en,”
said W om en V eterans Program
M a n a g e r N an cy S loan. F our
years ago, w hen she first began
w orking for the Portland VA,
p h y s ic ia n s d i d n ’t h a v e th e
c ap a city to do gyneco lo g ical
exam s because there w ere no
stirrups.
T h e h e a lth c e n te r, w h ic h
opened Sept. 10, offers gyn eco ­
logical and urological services,
prim ary care, cervical and breast
cancer screening and treatm ent,
fam ily planning, nutritional guid­
ance, m ental health care, and
m uch m ore.
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Women Veterans Program Manager Nancy Sloan (from right)
shows U.S. Marine Corp veteran Kim Wilkie and Army veteran
Milly Bui some o f the health care offerings at the new Center for
Women Veterans Health.
IU E
S
Pastors
Jerry & Annie
Gutierrez
Would like to
invite you
for Service every
F rid a y N ig h t a t 7 : 0 0 p m
Services will be held at
New Song Communitv Center
2511NE MLK Blvd.
Corner of NE MLK Blvd and Russell Street
Doors open at 6pm for every service
For directions or more information, call
503-488-5481
www.mfhmportland.com
M illy Bui, w ho served in the
A rm y from 2002 to 2005, has
b e e n p le a s e d w ith th e n e w
fa c ility ’s offerings.
“ I t’s actu ally been g reat,” she
s a id . “ B e fo re th e w o m e n ’s
health center, I had m an y d iffer­
ent p rim ary care physicians, and
since it’s opened, I ’ve had on e.”
Bui ad d ed that the m edical
services offered have seem ed
q u ick er as w ell — w h eth er g et­
tin g an appo in tm en t, tim e spent
in the w aitin g room , o r needing
to see som eone w ith o u t an ap ­
pointm ent.
T he nearly 4 ,0 0 0 -sq u are-fo o t
facility is located in the so u th ­
east section o f the P ortland V A
M edical C en ter w hich sits across
from the O reg o n H ealth S ci­
e n c e s U n iv e rs ity c a m p u s in
so u th w est Portland.
W ith a s e p a ra te e n tra n c e ,
soo th in g colors, sculptures, and
fem ale p h y sician s, the health
200 w o m en a w eek. Sloan e x ­
pects th at rate to d o uble in the
u p co m in g m onths, as the u ro ­
logical and g y n eco lo g ical sta ff
settles into the new space.
T he u se o f the P ortland V A
by w o m en g rew ab o u t 15 p e r­
cent last year, a h ig h er g row th
rate than b y m en. T hat tren d is
ex p ected to con tin u e w ith the
i n c r e a s in g e n li s t m e n t s o f
fem ales in the m ilitary.
Sloan says p atien ts are also
y ounger. A b o u t 30 p ercen t to 40
p ercen t o f the w o m en serv ed by
the P o rtlan d V A facilities are
u n d er the age o f 40. T he a v er­
age age o f p atien ts fo u r years
ago w as 45-50, but is m uch low er
today, averaging 20-30 years old,
she said.
Form er U.S. Marine Kim Wilkie
said that it had previously been “a
little aw kw ard to ‘sm oke ‘n jo k e ’
with the guys” in the Portland VA
hospital ’ s waiting room before get­
c en ter space is m eant to be a ting exam ined. She says that m edi­
calm refuge fo r the up to 3,400 cal providers at the new facility
q u alify in g w om en veterans in have m ade her feel m ore com ­
O regon and southw est W ash­ fortable because they take a m ore
ington w ho served the country in holistic approach.
situations that w ere som etim es
“T h ey w an t to kn o w w h a t’s
m entally and p h y sically brutal.
going on in all asp ects o f m y life,
G o v ern m en t-fu n d ed through and w e have m ore o f a d ia ­
f e d e r a l e c o n o m ic s tim u lu s logue,” W ilkie explained. “ I t’s
m oney, the facility cost $300,000 not ju s t ‘y o u ’re here for a p ro b ­
to build, and sees ab o u t 150 to lem , le t’s treat that p ro b le m .’”