She Wears the Boots podcast: women’s health experts

Women are the fastest growing group of Veterans. In fact, women make up 30% of all new Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients. Women Veterans have many of the same health care needs as non-Veteran women. Many also have health concerns unique to their military service and experiences.

Women Veterans need and want health care information they can trust. And VA wants women Veterans to understand and feel comfortable using all the health services they have earned and deserve.

Hear directly from VA clinicians, experts and leaders

She Wears the Boots is an official VA-sponsored podcast that addresses healthcare topics relevant to current and former women service members. Episodes feature VA clinicians, leaders and other experts who share details about the variety of women-specific health care services that VA offers.

She Wears the Boots provides women-specific health care information.

The podcast is meant to enhance the lives of service women and women Veterans by celebrating their service and sharing information on specific topics that can improve their well-being. They focus on educating women about gender-specific services or healthcare concerns that may be of high interest to women who served.

“Sometimes in the private sector, women may have their care fragmented. But in VA, women have access to their general health care and women-specific care with one provider, at one site,” said Dr. Sally Haskell, deputy chief consultant for Clinical Operations and the director of Comprehensive Health for Women’s Health at VA Central Office. “VA provides the care women Veterans need and offers comprehensive women’s health care, maternity care, infertility services and care for women Veterans with LBGT+ and related identities.”

Learn about women’s health services

Listening to the She Wears the Boots podcast is a great way for transitioning service women and women Veterans to get the information that is the most relevant to their unique healthcare needs and resources that best serve their needs. Women can listen from their computers while they are taking a break from teleworking, or from their phones when they are on the go, exercising or even driving.

New podcasts come out regularly, and current topics include:

• Women’s Health in the VA Overview
• Women Veteran Call Center
• Comprehensive Women’s Health Care in the VA
• Maternity Care in the VA
• Infertility Services in the VA
• LGBTQ Care in the VA
• White Ribbon VA
• Women’s Health Transition Training
• Addressing Misperceptions of the VA, Women’s Health Transition Training
• A Participant’s Experience, Women’s Health Transition Training
• Flu Shot Facts and Myths
• Mammograms through the VA
• Heart Health Facts and Myths
• COVID-19 Vaccination in Women

The podcast is available on Spreaker and Apple Podcasts.

Dr. Patricia Hayes is the chief officer for VA’s Women’s Health.