By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – US Senator Charles Schumer was at the Buffalo VA hospital Wednesday warning of an explosive need for specialized healthcare for women veterans.
The Buffalo VA hospital has a special clinic to treat women. But it's one of only a handful in the country. Most VA hospitals throw women into the healthcare mix along with male vets. Experts say that certainly doesn't make sense from a medical standpoint.
Although the center has treated about 4,000 women, only about ten percent of women vets are even enrolled in the VA health system. But Schumer says that number is predicted to skyrocket here and across the country as more women veterans return home. And he says even the great services offered to women at the Buffalo VA won't be enough.
Schumer will push for sSenate hearings on the issue. And he's outlined an agenda for revamping the government's healthcare program for women veterans. It calls for using the Buffalo women's clinic as a model for similar programs across the country.
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