Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital

Sudha Bhoopalam, MD
Medical Director
Women Veterans Program

Hines VA is committed to meeting the unique needs of Women Veterans by delivering the highest quality comprehensive health care to each woman, while offering her privacy, dignity and sensitivity to gender-specific needs. The Medical Director for the Women's Veterans Program and the Women Veterans Program Manager (WVPM) oversees the quality of the health care you are provided and are ready to assist you in getting timely access to your health care.

Diane Shearod, MSW, LCSW, MA
Women Veterans Program Manager

Remember, you can also receive women’s health care at our Community Based Outpatient Clinics in Elgin, Aurora, LaSalle, Kankakee, Oak Lawn and Joliet.

Eligibility: 

Each Veteran is unique. Call 1-800-827-1000 or 708-202-8838, for help determining your individual eligibility status.

The Women's Health Center offers a range of co-located services including:

• Comprehensive primary care.
• Urogynecology – a complete range of treatment options for women with urinary incontinence (leakage), bowel incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and fistula.  We offer pelvic physical therapy, nonsurgical options, and also minimally invasive surgical approaches including robotic-assisted surgery and vaginal surgery.
  
• Gynecology services including major and minor surgeries provided onsite
  • robotic-assisted minimally invasive laparoscoic surgery
  • sterilization by tubal ligation or Essure® procedure,
  • colposcopy (investigation of abnormal pap smears)
  • cone (LEEP) procedures (treatment of cervical abnormalities),
  • endometrial ablation (treatment of abnormal bleeding)
  • evaluation of chronic pelvic pain
  • a full range of reproductive health options (including IUDs, birth control pills, NuvaRing®,Implanon®, sterilization)
  • menopausal care including hormone replacement therapy
    
• Mental health services.
• Nutrition services.
• Social work services.
• Homeless program triage services: linking at-risk and homeless women veterans to resources in the community and within the Hines Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Program.
• PharmD services.
• Monthly newsletter and brochures.

Women Veterans represent a rapidly growing population in VA.  Currently, women make up 15% of the Armed Forces and women veterans currently comprise 1 of every 16 VA enrollees. This is projected to increase to 1 in 7 enrollees in the future. In Fiscal Year 2009, Hines treated approximately 2,500 women veterans.  Many of the women veterans treated at Hines are veterans getting off active duty after serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom in Iraq or Afghanistan.

return to top