Women Veterans
Our full time Women Veterans Program Manager, Judith Kelly, is here specifically to help you. She can be contacted by phone at (317) 988-4642, and she is located within the facility in Room C-2103.
Services Offered
Richard L. Roudebush (Indianapolis) VA Medical Center services for women include:
- Primary Care
- Cervical Cancer Screening
- Mammogram (fee-basis service)
- Reproductive Health Care
- Birth Control
- Menstrual Problems
- Referrals for Maternity Care
- Infertility Evaluation
- Menopause Evaluation and Treatment
- Osteoporosis Screening and Treatment
- Treatment of Vaginitis and Sexually
- Transmitted Infections
- Urinary Incontinence
- Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
- Women’s Health Pharmacist
Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) consists of your primary care provider, mental health provider, social worker, medical support assistant and nursing staff. Our facility provides comprehensive women’s health primary care, where women Veterans receive routine primary care, gender-specific care, mental health, & social work services in a single location and on a single visit. Each of our primary care clinics has Designated Women Health Providers who offer primary care as well as routine gender-specific care (i.e. clinical breast exam, pap smear, birth control, menopause care, etc.) Congress has determined that VA cannot provide abortions.
Mental Health Services including management of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as counseling and treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma (MST), and substance abuse. Services available include individual therapy, group therapy, support groups, and psychiatric medication evaluation and treatment. Groups specifically designed to meet the needs of women Veterans are also available. Jennifer Fox is the local Women Veterans Mental Health Champion, 317-988-2567.
Some women and men have experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault during their military service. VA refers to these experiences as military sexual trauma, or MST. Like other types of trauma, MST can negatively impact a person's mental and physical health, even many years later. Christina McNeely is the MST Coordinator, 317-988-3449.
OB services are provided through fee-basis providers in the private sector. Our maternity coordinator, Christie Pronszato, 317-988-4923, will assist in the coordination of OB services.
Newborn care may be included for the first seven days after the delivery. Referrals will be given for maternity care in the private sector.
Gynecology Specialty
Our GYN Specialty Clinic provides gynecologic services - many of the procedures and surgeries are done on site. These gynecological services are available through consults initiated by your primary care providers.
Women Veterans Hotline
On April 23, 2013, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched its new Women Veterans hotline—1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-6636)—an incoming call center that receives and responds to questions from women Veterans, their families, and caregivers across the nation about available VA services and resources.
“The Women Veterans Call Center is aimed at increasing women Veterans’ knowledge of all VA services and benefits that they deserve,” said Krista Stephenson, Army Veteran and Women Veterans Call Center Director.
Women Veterans Registry
Please register yourself as a Hoosier Woman Veteran. The registry is strictly confidential and used as a database to disseminate information among the Hoosier Women Veteran population. It serves as an informational bridge to connect you to the numerous resources and benefits that are available and that you are entitled to: Hoosier Women Veterans Registry
For Women Veterans, VA is Here
Women Veteran Program Managers are available at each VA Medical Center nationwide to assist women Veterans and coordinate services. Women Veterans who are interested in receiving care at VA should contact the nearest VA Medical Center.
Women Veterans are assigned to a designated Women’s Health Primary Care Provider who can provide general primary care and is specially trained or experienced in women’s care.
Whole Health - It's All About You
VA’s Whole Health System offers women Veterans proactive and personalized health care—empowering you to achieve your greatest level of health and well-being. Whole Health means the Whole You. From integrative health approaches like stress reduction, nutrition, and health coaching, to traditional clinical care and complementary health approaches—your journey to Whole Health starts here.
Well-Being Programs
Proactive, integrative health approaches such as:
- Health coaching
- Mind-body therapies and stress reduction
- Mindfulness
- Nutrition and weight management
- Peer support and community resources
- Programs to stop spoking
- Physical therapy and chiropractic services
General Health
You will be at the center of a Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). A provider, nurse, and others will engage with you to manage your health care.
- Primary care: includes general medical care for acute and chronic conditions, such as chronic pain, high blood pressure, and diabetes
- Preventive care: includes immunizations and cancer screenings, such as mammogram, Pap, and colonoscopy
- Gender-specific care
- Birth control
- Family planning and preconception counseling
- Maternity and newborn care (first 7 days after birth)
- Osteoporosis screening and management
Gynecology Health Services
Evaluation and treatment for:
- Abnormal Pap test
- Abnormal uterine bleeding
- Infertility
- Pelvic pain
- Gynecologic cancers
Mental Health
Evaluation, counseling, and treatment for:
- Depression, mood, and anxiety disorders
- Alcohol and drug use and addiction
- Coping with illness
- Intimate partner violence/sexual and domestic abuse
- Military sexual trauma (MST)
- Parenting and caregiver concerns
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Stress adjustment from deployment
Specialty Care
- Management of chronic or complex conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and fibromyalgia, as well as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis
- Surgery programs available at most Medical Centers
- Rehabilitation, homebound, and long-term care VA referrals are given to those in need of rehabilitation therapies, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy
VA referrals are given to those in need of rehabilitation therapies, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, exercise therapy, recreational therapy, and vocational therapy.
