You stay on top of your to-do list, but what about your preventive health checklist?
Things like regular checkups, screenings and immunizations can help you stay healthy. Common health conditions among women Veterans, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and some cancers, can be more easily treated when caught early.
Preventive health screenings can catch these conditions before they become worse. Some concerns like type 2 diabetes may even be prevented with regular checks and healthy habits.
Preventing illness is always better than treating illness
Prevention is overall less costly, takes less time, is less painful, and is less invasive than treatment.
Create your personal preventive health plan
Work with your VA primary care provider to create your personal preventive health plan to maintain your best health. This plan can address the health concerns that are important to you, focusing on things like cancer prevention, mental health and heart health. Your VA provider will suggest checkups and screenings based on your needs, age, risk factors and family history.
In addition to regular wellness checks, healthy habits can help you manage or prevent some health conditions, such as heart disease, which is the number one cause of death of adults in the U.S.
Here are healthy habits you can try at home:
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet. Check out the Healthy Teaching Kitchen Program for cooking classes, healthy recipes, nutrition information and other resources.
- If you smoke, stop. Try these tobacco cessation resources.
- Exercise regularly. You may like VA’s MOVE Weight Management Program. Try a mindfulness practice like yoga or tai chi, available through VA Whole Health, which can help your physical and mental health.
Check out women Veterans’ preventive health checklist
VA has created a preventive health checklist to help you keep your health in check. On the front is a checklist of services organized by age, and on the back is an area to fill in your health records. Be sure to talk with your VA health care provider to confirm which preventive health tests, screenings, and services are right for you.
If you don’t have a VA health care provider or you’re not sure where to start, you can call, text or chat online with the Women Veterans Call Center at 855-829-6636 to get help and find available resources and services in your area.
Trained women representatives can also help you with issues such as:
- Enrolling in VA health care if you have not already;
- Setting up a medical appointment in your area;
- Answering questions about eligibility (including questions about disability ratings) and other VA benefits, like employment, education and home loans.
Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET.
Whether you need a mammogram, bone density scan, Pap test or colonoscopy, you can turn to VA Women’s Health for the tools you need to stay up to date on all your preventive health needs.
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What about homeless Veterans????
Women Veterans do not maternity care at Veteran hospitals. Interesting.
Many women suffered and died to give us the vote. How many Veteran Women have to die before they get service.
This article is just more social/political propaganda.
During military service, the teachings and duty atmosphere go:”We Are Soldiers, Sailors, Airman”.
What I see today, however, women join the military, a non gender work environment, then move to separate as a special circumstance. Notice the implications in the following excerpt taken from this article: “Common health conditions among women Veterans, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and some cancers,” These medical conditions affect humans of all walks of life, not only women. Likewise with exposure to psychological and physical hazards – there are no Smart Bombs or Toxins that know if that unfortunate person is woman or man, so stop it.
After separation, we should remain: Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and not become divided and politically weakened!
Michael,
OK, how about Cervical Cancer? Did you know there is no routine test for HPV in men? The test for HPV cancer cells is preformed in a PAP test with an OBGYN for women routinely, however, HPV is cancer causing in both. Men unknowingly spread the virus because by default they don’t get tested for it so assume they don’t have it unless there is an obvious symptom. Men have many more partners through their life than women and many deployment places expose all soldiers to local populous. soldiers date soldiers all over the world however only women are tested. Unfortunately the condition of menopause weakens the immune response to HPV and cancer often comes about later in the soldiers career or after they separate from the military. The conditions that effect all veterans do not have to be the results of combat kinetic effects.
Hello
I am s former VA RN from Otlando VA
Worked 2000 to 2016.
Are there any openings.
Thank you
Ob /GYN background