Women’s Access to Care in Theater

By Elizabeth Lockwood Health.mil

Male and female service members each have particular health needs because of their gender, and these needs are met by the Military Health System both in the United States and on deployments, said Col. Kathy Harrington, deputy chief of the Clinical Services Division for the Army Medical Command.

“The bottom line is, all service members will take care of any issues they have before they deploy,” Harrington said. “Once deployed, even though women do pose some unique needs by virtue of the fact that they are women, men will also have needs because of their gender. There is not a lot of differentiation in clinics on the basis of gender. Women have been in theater now for years, and it’s the Military Health System’s mission to address the needs of any soldier, be that soldier at home or deployed, male or female.”

Health Screenings and Prescriptions

All service members are required to get preventive screenings before deploying. Because most screenings occur yearly, if not less frequently, and most deployments are a year or less in length, deployments rarely interrupt preventive health care.

For known health issues, service members are advised to take a three-month supply of their prescriptions with them overseas. This ensures they have a window of time to get settled in theater and determine where they will fill their prescriptions while deployed.

Service members can choose from three different resources to get prescription refills:

Refills are available in theater;
They can take a full year’s supply with them when they deploy;
They can also use the TRICARE Pharmacy Program to receive refills by mail.
Harrington said the Military Health System has a number of programs focused on health issues facing deployed women, including the following:

Gynecological Health

An obstetrician/gynecologist is available at every combat support hospital established around the world. This provides enough OB/GYNs to serve the service members in theater. A service member seeking care first visits her primary care physician, who makes a preliminary diagnosis and treats any cases possible. Complicated cases are referred up the chain to the OB/GYN at the closest combat support hospital.

Contraception and Pregnancy

Like other medications and prescriptions, service members are encouraged to take contraceptives with them when they deploy. If they need prescription refills, they can find medication in theater, or use the TRICARE Pharmacy Program.

Any service member found to be pregnant is immediately sent back home.

Breast Cancer

The Military Health System uses a tiered system of health care delivery in theater. Female service members who detect a breast lump while deployed report initially to their primary care provider, who conducts the first level of evaluation.

If the primary care provider is concerned, the service member is referred to a surgeon at the closest combat support hospital. The surgeon makes an assessment of the patient’s case and if the surgeon believes the patient may need some sort of surgery, the patient is transported to Landstuhl, Germany.

The health care delivery system ensures that any patient who needs a specialized evaluation is referred to the correct facility.

Health Care Facilities in Theater

While there are not private health care facilities for men and women in theater, Harrington said that there are often not private health care facilities for men and women at home, either.

“All deployed soldiers are given the maximum amount of privacy possible,” Harrington said. “It’s very similar to what would be given here in the states – all soldiers are treated equally.”

Infirmaries and combat support hospitals in theater are set up like a traditional post-op recovery room in hospitals in the U.S. There are curtain separations between each bed that provide women with sufficient privacy to feel comfortable while they are receiving care.

Specialized Care Items

Female service members may require specialized beauty and care items while deployed. While they are encouraged to take these items with them, there are post exchanges where they can purchase more supplies, as well as the Army Direct Ordering Program online. USO group care packages also often provide these types of items.