Breaking ground for better care: Minneapolis VA strives to create safer space for women veterans
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A note to readers: This story contains discussion of sexual trauma. Resources and helplines can be found at the bottom of the article.
As a teenager living in rural North Dakota, Kristy Janigo wanted to chase adventure. So during her senior year of high school, she went to Fargo’s Military Entrance Processing Station, raised her right hand and committed to the U.S. Army National Guard.
She finished high school and a summer college program and then packed her bags to start basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
She served from 2001 to 2006 as a water treatment specialist, reaching the rank of sergeant, and is a proud third-generation army veteran.
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Janigo is now the veterans’ engagement coordinator for Hennepin County and a Maple Grove city council member.
She also receives mental health services at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
“I did experience pretty regular sexual harassment in the military community while I was a service member,” Janigo said. “I do think it has had an impact on my mental health in the long run.”
One in three women veterans tell their VA health care provider they experienced military sexual trauma, the term used to describe experiences of sexual harassment or sexual assault that occur during military service.
Some women also report feeling uncomfortable and unwelcome when seeking health care through the VA medical system. A 2022 survey found that 13 percent of women veterans said they experienced harassment at Veterans Affairs health care facilities.
Officials at the Minneapolis VA are working to change this. In September, dozens of women veterans and advocates gathered to break ground at the site of a new women’s health clinic near the Minneapolis VA Medical Center building.
When completed two years from now, the stand-alone clinic will replace the current women’s clinic inside the VA hospital.
It will have an important feature, its own entrance.
Dr. Alisa Duran, medical director for women’s health at the Minneapolis VA, said creating a safe space with a separate entrance was very important in the design.
“Many female veterans have experienced harassment in VA facilities,” Duran said. “The history of sexual trauma that they experienced during their military service may make veterans more hesitant to seek out care within the VA.”
Duran said while visiting VA facilities, being around men can sometimes be traumatizing for women veterans.
VA officials say women veterans sometimes face catcalls, stares and derogatory comments when entering the main medical center. Some women are challenged about their veteran status or their right to VA care.
Like the existing clinic, the new clinic will provide primary and reproductive care, mammogram screening, prenatal counseling and mental health services for women, nonbinary and transgender patients. But the goal is to also create a supportive community environment.
Women are the fastest-growing group of military veterans. Of the 105,000 veterans who received care in the Minneapolis VA system last year, 9,000 were women. According to Pew Research Center, women make up 11 percent of the veteran population and that number is projected to increase to around 18 percent by 2040.
The new clinic will double the currently available examination room space. More health care services such as physical therapy, advanced breast and cervical cancer screenings and other specialized care related to women’s military service will also be available.
Military service can take a toll on women’s health, said Dr. Sally Haskell, the acting chief officer for the Office of Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. She said musculoskeletal injuries, cardiovascular risk and mental health conditions occur at higher rates among women veterans.
“Veterans tend to be very healthy and fit during their military service. Some people are relieved to no longer have fitness requirements once they leave the military, so after a few years they might develop cardiovascular risk factors,” Haskell said. “And, interestingly, some research is beginning to show that both trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder can be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.”
She added that many women veterans have a history of trauma in their lives so medical providers also see a higher prevalence of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among women veterans.
In addition to all the structural and care improvements, Emma O’Brien, women veterans program manager at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, said there is also a symbolic one: the recognition of women veterans as veterans.
O’Brien said the VA health care system was originally designed with the needs of men in mind, so not all clinics have the environment and privacy that women want.
“Nationally, there is a reputation of the VA being your father’s VA. We are really trying to change the narrative,” she said. “It’s all of our VA.”
Janigo still thinks about her safety a lot but felt hopeful during a recent visit to Camp Ripley, a Minnesota National Guard facility near Little Falls, where she saw a highly visible resource table from the VA’s sexual harassment and assault awareness program.
“Women carry two rucksacks. One of them is full of the burden of sexual harassment and spending a lot of mental energy on keeping yourself safe,” she said. “The other one is full of your actual military duties and the responsibility of learning how to be a soldier or military member.”
She is eager for the new women’s clinic to open. She said the building’s separate entrance will make women veterans feel safer and strengthen their sisterhood.
“Even though women have been serving in the military since the inception of this country, you do not hear about us in the history books. We were there and we continue to be there,” Janigo said. “We are just excited to receive respect and be recognized.”
A 24-hour statewide sexual violence and domestic violence hotline is available in Minnesota. You can call Minnesota Day One at (866) 223-1111 or text (612) 399-9995.