The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System will hold exclusive outreach events for women veterans on Saturday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The events will take place at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center at 10000 Bay Pines Blvd., in Bay Pines, and at the Lee County Healthcare Center at 2489 Diplomat Parkway, East, in Cape Coral.

The events are being held to inform and educate women veterans about gender-specific medical and mental health services available to them through VA, enroll them for VA’s medical benefits package, assist with disability claims, and more. All women veterans and their loved ones are encouraged to attend at no cost.

“The bottom line is this … we are not your grandfather’s VA,” said Kris Brown, interim executive director, Bay Pines VAHCS. “We have made significant strides in tailoring programs and services to women veterans, and we are extremely proud of these advancements. I encourage Central, Southwest Florida women veterans to come out, learn more and enroll in VA care – we offer the best, most comprehensive care for veterans bar none.”

Women veterans represent the fastest growing population of VA users in the nation. The Bay Pines VAHCS currently serves about 11,000 women patients. Nationally, nearly 1 million women trust VA for their medical and mental health care, or 11 percent of all VA users.

To learn more about women veterans health services and how to apply for care, please visit: VA.gov/health-care/health-needs-conditions/womens-health-needs/.

About the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System

The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System provides level 1a, tertiary care and is headquartered in Bay Pines, Fla. Opened in 1933, the C. W. Bill Young VA Medical Center is situated on 337 acres on the Gulf of Mexico approximately 8 miles northwest of downtown St. Petersburg. In addition to the main hospital, the healthcare system operates seven outpatient clinics in the cities of Cape Coral, Bradenton, Clearwater, Naples, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Sebring. The healthcare system provides a full range of medical, surgical, psychiatric, and extended-care services in outpatient, inpatient, residential, nursing home/community living center, and home care settings for veterans residing in 10 counties in central, Southwest Florida ranging from Pinellas County to Collier County.