VA telehealth programs target women

Women in 10 regions of the Veteran Affairs Department healthcare delivery system will be the targeted populations for a series of one-year, grant-funded telehealth pilot programs, the VA has announced.

The women's telehealth projects funded are in mental health, gynecology, pharmacy and a telephone-based program of maternity-care coordination, the VA statement said. VA regions in New Jersey; Maryland; Ohio; Indiana and Illinois; St. Louis, Mo.; eastern Kansas; El Paso, Texas; northern Arizona; Los Angeles and Minneapolis are receiving the grants.

A total of 33 grants will be awarded in the program, which also includes regional grants for “innovations in emergency services for women” and “women's health and specialty care mini-residencies,” the VA announcement said.

The amounts and allocations of the grants were not announced.

Women constitute 15% of active-duty military personnel and nearly 18% of the National Guard and Reserve forces, and, by 2020, 10% of all veterans will be women, the VA estimates.

“Our goal is 100% accessibility for women veterans who need our care,” VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said in a news release. “These new projects will improve access and quality of critical healthcare services for women.”