VA releases women veterans PSA

The Department of Veterans Affairs is making available to the public a new video about the vital role women play in the military and the importance of providing women veterans with high quality health care.

VA's Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group recently completed a 60-second public service announcement that challenges viewers to rethink pre-conceived notions about women veterans. The video features images of women driving supply trucks, participating in reconnaissance missions, walking safety patrols, and operating helicopter machine guns, all in military service.

The PSA is available for viewing on YouTube and on VA's website. Broadcast organizations interested in obtaining a broadcast-quality version of the PSA should contact VA's Office of Public Affairs at (202) 461-7600.

The number of women using VA has doubled in the past decade, and that increase is expected to continue into the next decade. More than half of the women using VA health care have a service-connected disability. These range from combat PTSD to missing limbs. The PSA gives a sampling of the service-connected disabilities women Veterans must cope with on a daily basis.

The PSA was developed for nationwide release from a new employee orientation video created as part of VA's ongoing efforts to change its culture to be more understanding and accommodating of women veterans and honor the important service they have given their country.

In addition to new employee orientation, VA is spreading its culture-of-change message to current employees through posters, conferences and email messaging. VA health-care providers are all given the opportunity to participate in a ground-breaking mini-residency program in Women's Health for Veterans. This program has already educated more than 1,100 VA providers on the latest knowledge in gender-specific health care.

For more information about VA programs and services for women veterans, go online here or here.