Senators Heller and Murray Introduce the Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015
Wounded Warrior Project® Supports Bill, Which Would Make Women Veterans a VA Priority
Washington, D.C. (February 12, 2015) – Senators Dean Heller (R-NV) and Patty Murray (D-WA) today introduced the Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act of 2015. This bill would establish standards for caring for women at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities; ensure the availability of full-time obstetricians or gynecologists at every VA Medical Center; and pilot an OB-GYN graduate medical education program at VA to increase the quality of and access to care for women veterans. Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is proud to support this bill.
“Women veterans have served in far greater numbers since September 11, and that will only increase in the decade ahead,” said Charlie Abell, executive vice president of Policy and Government Affairs at WWP. “The time is now for VA to increase their capacity and capability in order to serve this veteran population now and in the future.”
With the number of women serving in the military continuing to grow and the percentage of women in the veteran population projected to almost double by 2040, gender remains a significant factor in healthcare access and long-term health outcomes. Women veterans are more likely to wait longer for care and to be referred outside the VA system than male veterans. Perceived lack of availability or adequacy of services based on lack of outreach also contributes to barriers to engagement of female veterans.
“We thank Senators Heller and Murray for taking the lead to introduce this important bill,” Abell said. “We urge the Senators’ colleagues to support and enact this legislation and look forward to working with Senators Heller and Murray to improve the lives and health outcomes of women veterans.”
Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) has a vision of fostering the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation’s history. To achieve this objective, WWP is committed to a lifetime of service and commitment through its mission: to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP currently serves more than 63,000 warriors and over 9,000 family members through its 20 unique programs and services. The purpose of WWP is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org.