Why a Houston VA Medical Center is focusing on females

The Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center said young females are its fastest growing patient population.  

Texas has tens of thousands of more female veterans than any other state and because of that the Houston VA has to make women a priority.

“We have integrated a model here where we have mental health services co-located with primary care services, breast imaging services and maternity care,” said Dr. Rola El-Serag, medical director of the Women's Veteran Health Program, Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center.

In the newest, most high-tech part of the medical center, they’re catering to females because they find the thousands of women patients in Houston are at childbearing age, have more chronic pain, are more frequently than men to be disabled and have mental health problems that regular physicians may not detect.

“There’s a very complex psychosocial relationship between their health care issues, their mental health and their ability to function every day in their lives. We do know that our female veterans have a very high rate of military sexual trauma. It's reported about 23 percent of female veterans and that's probably a gross under-estimate because a lot of women are not reporting this,” El-Serag said.

El-Serag said doctors at the VA are experienced in ways to address underlying mental health in the military, and therefore, they can better treat the whole patient.

Even though it may take many visits to build that trust, she said they found the secret to getting patients in for routine checks.

“We will try to cater to them immediately that day. So for example, we have our new breast center here, if I have a patient who is homeless, doesn't come to her appointments or she just doesn't, it's just difficult for her to come to the VA in general, I’ll talk to our breast radiologist and she'll fit them in that day,” El-Serag said.

For patients like Army veteran Doris Taylor, that specialized attention may help save lives.

“I could've died,” Taylor said. “But here, Dr. El-Serag didn't let that happen.”

On her first visit, El-Serag brought a psychologist into the room.

“I intentionally will bring the psychologist into the room that day so they can meet with a psychologist so it becomes personalized, they're more likely to show up their appointments. Many veterans avoid these appointments because it causes a lot of anxiety for them to discuss some of the things that have happened,” El-Serag said.

The VA keeps in contact with Taylor even when she missed appointments made a difference to her.

“It made me feel like ‘oh wow,’ she said. “This doctor that I met, she really cares. She really care about me. She really care about veteran women.”

El-Serag said every female veteran will be treated the same way, “I think that many female veterans are afraid to come to the VA for several reasons. First, they think this is a man's world and as you can see things have changed, that's not the case.”

She said in the past five years, the number of female veteran patients has doubled and now they’re coming in with chronic pain issues from combat too. 

El-Serag said in the future, the hospital may incorporate more holistic treatments like meditation and acupuncture.

For now, they’re focused on a rapidly growing need for female care.