Nurse practitioner Becky Vozar is VA Butler Healthcare's new women's health provider. An open house is planned April 25 to introduce her.

BUTLER TWP — Female veterans seeking medical treatment and care are a growing demographic at VA Butler Healthcare.

In 2014, the VA treated 1,145 female veterans, a number that includes 37 who never sought care from the VA before.

“It’s a slow gradual increase for Butler,” said Brenda Sprouse, women veterans health care manager.

She said the largest population of people getting care are 45 to 55 years old, but she said there is an increasing number of women who are of childbearing age also seeking care.

Sprouse said the VA tries to offer more than just general health care for women and offers services such as OB/GYN, cancer services and mental health.

“We try to make it a one-stop shop for women’s health care,” Sprouse said.

To be eligible for care at the VA, veterans need two years of service and an honorable discharge.

The VA offers general care services, including health evaluations, counseling, disease prevention, weight control, smoking cessation services and other options. For women, it also offers Pap smears, breast cancer screening, birth control, preconception counseling, HPV vaccines and menopausal support.

And it also offers a variety of mental health services such as help for depression, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, PTSD, anger management, family issues, sexual trauma and family issues.

The VA has support for military sexual trauma, called MST, which is where veterans experience sexual harassment or sexual assault while serving.

In March, the VA in Butler started a women veterans’ MST support group, which meets from 10 to 11 a.m. Fridays

Sprouse said having such a group has been discussed in the past.

“We’ve had enough interest in them to move forward,” Sprouse said.

She said that mixed gender support groups for MST have not been as therapeutic as initially expected. The goal of the group is to decrease the feeling of isolation that MST sufferers may have.

Female veterans interested in attending the group have to be prescreened. Veterans who are not qualified for other care at the VA may be eligible for this service.

For information, contact MST coordinator Rowan Flamm at 800-362-8262, Ext. 2498.

The VA also offers specialty services, too, such as management of chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and sexually transmitted diseases. It also offers rehabilitation, homebound and long-term care.

Most of the services and treatments are in house, but services such as births, surgery and mammography are done through hospitals that have agreements with the VA.

“It’s working out really well,” Sprouse said.

An open house to introduce Becky Vozar, the facility’s new women’s health provider, will be from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. April 25 at the VA’s outpatient clinical area.

In her position, Vozar sees patients for most services that people go to a primary care doctor for.

To register for the open house, call Ann McKee at 724-285-2778 or Sprouse at 724-285-2756.