With more female veterans returning home from military duties, the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center is putting greater emphasis on their outpatient women's clinic.
U.S. Army veteran Aleatha Franco, 39, said she was a patient there for six years before she recently moved to McAlester.
"It's a really good facility, especially for women with post-traumatic stress disorder," she said. "For women who aren't comfortable seeing men, it's a good option."
Franco said she had a friend who didn't get treatment for combat-related stress.
"My friend committed suicide related to PTSD," she said. "I hope that if family members see signs that there is a problem, I hope they will be more proactive. People should not be afraid to come in. We can join together and help each other."
Franco said the clinic responds to all health issues, both physical and emotional, and treats all patients with respect.
"The VA in Muskogee really tries hard to be their best with all of that," she said.
Susie Hartsell, manager for the Women Veterans Program said female veterans often have special needs.
"We want to reassure them that they're safe in a protected environment," she said. "A lot of them suffer from sexual abuse and mental issues that affects them if they have to go see a doctor and sit in a waiting room and be around a lot of men."
Hartsell said 898 women are enrolled in the program and that the all-female staff sees 10 to 12 patients a day in the clinic.
"We provide comprehensive primary care to the women veterans in a women's clinic here at the VA medical center," she said. "The services we provide are no different than any of the other primary care teams except it's gender specific. A lot of people get confused and think our clinic is like gynecology, but it's more than that. We take care of all their primary care."
That means a case of the flu or a hurt ankle can be treated in the private section on the fourth floor. Hartsell said she wants to get the word out about the clinic.
"Some of the older women vets are eligible and don't realize they are entitled to be seen here," she said. "They are welcome to come and see me, and I will take them to the appropriate place to get them enrolled and show them the facility."
Hartsell said the clinic has an all-female staff made up of a medical doctor, a registered nurse and a clerk. They also offer military sexual trauma counseling. She said she finds the work very satisfying.
"I think it's wonderful," she said. "I just think it's great to know that I'm going to be able to help the women veterans, provide their care, and get them transitioned back home."
Nita McClellan, spokeswoman for the medical center, said they're trying to get the word out about the clinic.
"A lot of the female vets have had some kind of trauma," she said. "The waiting area has feminine touches; it's a lot nicer than other waiting rooms. It's a small team, and everybody gets to know each other very well and they're very personable."
Find out more
--For information about the clinic for female veterans, call Susie Hartsell at 577-4277.
Reach Keith Purtell at 918-684-2925 or Click Here to Send Email To see more of the Muskogee Phoenix or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.muskogeephoenix.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.