In the ever-evolving landscape of health care, there is a new initiative hoping to make a significant impact on the lives of women Veterans facing cancer.<\/p>\n
The Center for Oncology Outcomes Review and Gender Equity (COURAGE) is the latest addition to VA\u2019s Breast and Gynecologic Cancer System of Excellence<\/a> (BGSOE), and it comes with a bold mission: to improve cancer care for women Veterans while addressing sex and gender disparities within care delivery.<\/p>\n COURAGE\u2019s establishment stems from the growing population of women Veterans seeking care at VA facilities. The primary goal is to capture and improve data structures for women within the VA health care system.<\/p>\n Dr. Leah Zullig, the COURAGE director, shared her insights into the center\u2019s purpose, goals and the critical work they are undertaking to enhance the lives of women Veterans.<\/p>\n \u201cOur primary mission at COURAGE is to improve cancer care for women Veterans,\u201d Zullig said. \u201cThis includes addressing sex and gender disparities, developing tailored care approaches and implementing thoughtful changes in health care delivery. We aim to create a community of researchers and providers dedicated to innovation and evaluation, particularly in the field of women\u2019s cancers.\u201d<\/p>\n VA is actively working to ensure the highest cancer care quality for women Veterans with cancer and to tailor breast and gynecologic cancer care services to their needs. COURAGE is focused on mapping the existing evidence about care quality, experiences and preferences of women Veterans with cancer.<\/p>\n COURAGE also aims to:<\/p>\n COURAGE is already building on existing investigative capabilities with ongoing scoping reviews and evidence mapping projects. These initiatives aim to understand the best available evidence regarding cancer care for women Veterans and identify gaps in knowledge.<\/p>\n One crucial aspect of their work is creating a national report on cancer incidence among women Veterans treated at VA facilities. This report will examine factors such as the stage of cancer, whether these women are screened at VA centers and whether they transitioned to VA from the Department of Defense at the point of discharge.<\/p>\n They are conducting qualitative inquiries to better understand the experiences of women Veterans accessing care at VA facilities. These studies explore the unique challenges and gender-related issues Veterans may face.<\/p>\n COURAGE aligns seamlessly with BGSoE\u2019s approach to equitable cancer care. While BGSoE focuses on providing a \u201cwarm touch\u201d through patient navigators, COURAGE aims to understand why women Veterans may choose to opt in or out of this type of VA health care service. This approach ensures care is not only available but also attuned to the unique needs of women Veterans.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are truly excited about the launch of COURAGE. This initiative addresses a critical need in our health care system by focusing on the unique health care requirements of women who represent the fastest-growing demographic in the Veteran population,\u201d said Dr. Haley Moss, BGSoE director and gynecologic oncologist at Durham VA.<\/p>\n COURAGE is not working in isolation. The center has advisor support from VA Women\u2019s Health Practice-Based Research Network<\/a> as well as leaders from VA\u2019s National Oncology Program<\/a>. They are also collaborating with other health disparity focused researchers from institutions like Harvard, reinforcing VA\u2019s commitment to robust, interdisciplinary research.<\/p>\n Veterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the need for different cancer screenings and what screening options are available.\u00a0<\/p>\n To learn more about how VA works shoulder to shoulder with strategic partners to expand access and reduce barriers to cancer care at VA, visit cancer.va.gov.<\/p>\nWhat Veterans should know about COURAGE<\/h2>\n
\n
Building on existing investigative capabilities<\/h2>\n
Serving the approach to equitable cancer care<\/h2>\n
Partnerships and ongoing projects<\/h2>\n
Learn more about cancer care and VA\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![<\/a>Dr. Leah Zullig<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\u201cOur primary mission at COURAGE is to improve cancer care for women Veterans,\u201d Zullig said. \u201cThis includes addressing sex and gender disparities, developing tailored care approaches and implementing thoughtful changes in health care delivery. We aim to create a community of researchers and providers dedicated to innovation and evaluation, particularly in the field of women\u2019s cancers.\u201d<\/p>\nWhat Veterans should know about COURAGE<\/h2>\nVA is actively working to ensure the highest cancer care quality for women Veterans with cancer and to tailor breast and gynecologic cancer care services to their needs. COURAGE is focused on mapping the existing evidence about care quality, experiences and preferences of women Veterans with cancer.<\/p>\nCOURAGE also aims to:<\/p>\n\nPrioritize communication between primary care providers and oncologists, ensuring a seamless coordination of care;<\/li>\nActively explore ways to alleviate barriers to care, such as transportation and travel, which can hinder access to care;<\/li>\nEmbrace telehealth solutions to make health care more accessible, especially for Veterans with families.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nBuilding on existing investigative capabilities<\/h2>\nCOURAGE is already building on existing investigative capabilities with ongoing scoping reviews and evidence mapping projects. These initiatives aim to understand the best available evidence regarding cancer care for women Veterans and identify gaps in knowledge.<\/p>\nOne crucial aspect of their work is creating a national report on cancer incidence among women Veterans treated at VA facilities. This report will examine factors such as the stage of cancer, whether these women are screened at VA centers and whether they transitioned to VA from the Department of Defense at the point of discharge.<\/p>\nThey are conducting qualitative inquiries to better understand the experiences of women Veterans accessing care at VA facilities. These studies explore the unique challenges and gender-related issues Veterans may face.<\/p>\nServing the approach to equitable cancer care<\/h2>\nCOURAGE aligns seamlessly with BGSoE\u2019s approach to equitable cancer care. While BGSoE focuses on providing a \u201cwarm touch\u201d through patient navigators, COURAGE aims to understand why women Veterans may choose to opt in or out of this type of VA health care service. This approach ensures care is not only available but also attuned to the unique needs of women Veterans.<\/p>\n\u201cWe are truly excited about the launch of COURAGE. This initiative addresses a critical need in our health care system by focusing on the unique health care requirements of women who represent the fastest-growing demographic in the Veteran population,\u201d said Dr. Haley Moss, BGSoE director and gynecologic oncologist at Durham VA.<\/p>\nPartnerships and ongoing projects<\/h2>\nCOURAGE is not working in isolation. The center has advisor support from VA Women\u2019s Health Practice-Based Research Network<\/a> as well as leaders from VA\u2019s National Oncology Program<\/a>. They are also collaborating with other health disparity focused researchers from institutions like Harvard, reinforcing VA\u2019s commitment to robust, interdisciplinary research.<\/p>\nLearn more about cancer care and VA\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nVeterans are strongly encouraged to talk to their VA provider about the need for different cancer screenings and what screening options are available.\u00a0<\/p>\nTo learn more about how VA works shoulder to shoulder with strategic partners to expand access and reduce barriers to cancer care at VA, visit cancer.va.gov.<\/p>\nVisit\u00a0My HealtheVet<\/a>\u00a0to learn tips and tools to help you partner with your health care team so together you may work to manage your health.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the ever-evolving landscape of health care, there is a new initiative hoping to make a significant impact on the lives of women Veterans facing cancer. The Center for Oncology Outcomes Review and Gender Equity (COURAGE) is the latest addition to VA\u2019s Breast and Gynecologic Cancer System of Excellence (BGSOE), and it comes with a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":36781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[648,5,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer-care","category-health","category-inside-veterans-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36779"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36779\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36782,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36779\/revisions\/36782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/10\/Dr.-Zullig_r1.jpg\"){kind=link}