This October, VA is proud to participate in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women. About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point. This makes breast cancer a serious concern for women Veterans.
According to Dr. Sally Haskell, Deputy Chief Consultant and Director, Comprehensive Women’s Health, “The good news is that localized breast cancer has a 99 percent survival rate if detected early, and VA leads the nation’s health care systems in providing mammograms to those who need them.”
VA encourages all women between ages 50 and 75 to get mammograms every two years. VA encourages all women to talk with their provider about breast health and when your health care provider recommends a mammogram outside of that age range — VA will provide it.
Breast cancer risk varies among women. VA care teams help determine when patients should start receiving mammograms and how to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.
Resources
All VA medical centers have a Women Veterans Program Manager to help women Veterans access VA benefits and health care services.
Women Veterans can call 1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-6636) to ask questions about available VA services and resources. Want to know more? Check out VA’s dedicated resources for women Veterans: Women Veterans Call Center
Additional resources on Breast Cancer Prevention:
- VA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (NCP)
- American Cancer Society
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- VA Women’s Health Services
If you are a health care professional who is interested in providing care for Veterans and would like to explore opportunities working with the women Veteran population, visit vacareers.va.gov to learn more.
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