Women's Health Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

VAMC Expands Women’s Health Care Options

Women are the fastest-growing population of veterans and the Beckley VA Medical Center is staying ahead of the curve with its new offerings.

The Beckley VA Medical Center’s Women’s Health Program expanded to include a new clinical space specifically made for women veterans’ health needs.

Wanda Richmond, veteran program manager, said women have their own unique health care needs and the focus of the Women’s Health Program is to meet those needs.

“The main focus is that it is just much more convenient for the veteran,” Richmond said. “They can be here for a primary care appointment and have an issue that they would like to discuss, or be seen by a gynecologist for, they can have that done at the same visit without having to come back for a second visit.”

Dr. Roy Wolfe, the gynecologist at Beckley VAMC and the women’s health medical director, joined the program in August of 2023 and tends to patients at clinics in Raleigh, Greenbrier and Mercer Counties.

“We see probably about 15 patients a week, which is a luxury for me having come from private practice,” Wolfe said. “I can spend as much time as I need to with all those patients.”

Wolfe said veterans need specialized care, as they are different from the civilian population, all of those health needs can be addressed at the VA.

“There are some specific issues that they have that we’re uniquely qualified to deal with that the civilian providers probably would not be,” he said.

Since bringing on Wolfe, the program has only continued to grow with the addition of Nurse Practitioner Christian St. Clair serving as the women’s health Primary Care Provider.

“We are very excited to have her here,” Richmond said. “She is experienced in women’s health. She is very much interested in women’s health. And we feel it’s important that you have a stable provider that you can develop a relationship with that when you come in, you’re not having to tell a new provider, all of your history and everything over and over again.”

Procedures available in the clinic include annual wellness exams, cervical cancer screenings, birth control options and treatment for menopausal symptoms, among other services.

Some surgical procedures are also available at the clinic including hysteroscopy, management of cysts of abscesses and more.

Richmond said she thinks women tend to neglect their own health for the betterment of their families and other obligations and encouraged women veterans to seek health care at the VA.

“We want all of our women veterans to know they served, they deserve the care,” Richmond said. “And we at the VA welcome them and we want to ensure that they get the care that they need and definitely deserve.”

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Marshall Health.

Lawmakers Discuss Women’s Health Needs On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, many bills and amendments have been introduced in the state legislature this year that focus on women’s health policy. But feminine hygiene isn’t one of them. Briana Heaney talks with Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and Del. Anitra Hamilton, D-Monongalia, about women’s health in the state and legislation that affects women.

On this West Virginia Morning, many bills and amendments have been introduced in the state legislature this year that focus on women’s health policy. But feminine hygiene isn’t one of them. Briana Heaney talks with Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and Del. Anitra Hamilton, D-Monongalia, about women’s health in the state and legislation that affects women.

Also, in this show, aftereffects from the coronavirus pandemic continue to challenge our health care systems. The most recent spotlight is on Medicaid which offers health coverage for more than 90 million Americans with limited resources. After several years of continuous coverage, everyone must now reapply to determine eligibility. In a new episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay reports on how that process is going for residents of the Mountain State.

Kay talked with Deedra Toppings about her experience. She was covered by Medicaid when her headaches began eight years ago, but that changed. We listen to an excerpt from our latest episode. To hear this full episode, tune in to WVPB Radio on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. or on your own time at wvpublic.org.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas is our news director and producer.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

House Approves Bill To Arm W.Va. School Teachers

On this episode of The Legislature Today, there was contentious third reading debate in the House of Delegates over the much talked about bill to arm teachers as concealed carry protection officers.

Updated on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 at 10:14 a.m.

On this episode of The Legislature Today, there was contentious third reading debate in the House of Delegates over the much talked about bill to arm teachers as concealed carry protection officers. Randy Yohe has the latest on House Bill 4299.

In the Senate, the chamber had one of its busier days as official deadlines draw closer. Next Wednesday is Crossover Day, meaning that all bills have to be out of their chamber of origin to have a chance of becoming law. Briana Heaney has more.

Also, the Senate Government Organization Committee advanced a bill that would promote Randall Reid-Smith, the curator of the Department of Arts, Culture and History, to a cabinet secretary. The committee approved Senate Bill 865, which now goes to the full chamber. West Virginia Public Broadcasting is part of the Department of Arts, Culture and History.

A health facility would not need to obtain a certificate of need to operate in West Virginia if a certain House bill becomes law. Emily Rice has more.

Special education educators, students and their families gathered at the Capitol to advocate for more support in their classrooms. Chris Schulz has the story.

And, on History Day at the Capitol, the rotunda is sent back in time. It becomes a place of living history, where the lives and lessons from our state’s past become touchstones for the present and future. Randy Yohe has the story.

Finally, women’s health has been a popular topic in the Senate this year. Many bills and amendments have been introduced that focus on women’s health policy. Briana Heaney speaks with Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and Del. Anitra Hamilton, D-Monongalia, about women’s health in the state and legislation that affects women.

Having trouble viewing the video below? Click here to watch it on YouTube.

The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.

Watch or listen to new episodes Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Advocates Act To Cover ‘Abortion Desert’ In W.Va.

The Women’s Health Center of Maryland in Cumberland will open its doors in June to provide abortion services to patients across central Appalachia.

Katie Quiñonez is the executive director of the Charleston-based Women’s Health Center of West Virginia. She will serve as executive director of the new Maryland clinic. West Virginia is part of what some call an “abortion desert.”

“There’s not another abortion clinic nearly 100 miles or more in any direction. That to me is an abortion desert,” Quiñonez said. “You know, the majority of the counties in the United States do not have an abortion provider located within those communities. Abortion should be accessible, people should be able to get the reproductive health care that they need without delay, without any barriers. Now, that’s not the reality that we’re living in.”

Until the Maryland clinic opens and can take referrals, Quiñonez and her staff have no other option but to send callers to a website to find out-of-state services. Even when the clinic opens, Cumberland is a more than three hour drive from Charleston.

The Women’s Health Center of West Virginia continues to provide reproductive health care services, like cancer screenings, contraception and HIV and STI testing among other services.

“While we absolutely wish that we could be providing abortion care in West Virginia, we know that opening a clinic in western Maryland where right now there is a lack of access to reproductive health care specifically that this is going to be a big game changer and it’s really important to the community,” Quiñonez said.

The Women’s Health Center of Maryland will provide abortion services into the second trimester, annual exams, contraception, testing and treatment for sexually-transmitted diseases, and breast and cervical cancer screenings.

“While Women’s Health Center in Maryland will not be open to provide abortion care until June of 2023, we know that many more people are going to need abortion care in the meantime because people have always needed abortion since the beginning of time when people will always need abortions until the end of time,” Quiñonez said.

Senate Moves Health Bills in Saturday Morning Session

After a late night lawmaking session Friday, the Senate was quick to action Saturday morning, the final day of the 2023 Regular Legislative Session. With so many bills surrounding the health of West Virginia being passed from chamber to chamber, and committee to committee, there are a lot of loose ends to tie up.

SB 187 – Sexual contact between students and teachers

The Senate refused to concur on the House of Delegates’ amendments to a bill to ban sexual contact from school staff regardless of age.

Senate Bill 187 would make it a felony offense for a school employee or volunteer to engage in sexual contact with students.

On Saturday, the Senate refused to concur with the House’s amendments to Senate Bill 187.

“The Senate version of this bill prohibits primary and secondary school employees from being sexually intimate with students regardless of age,” Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, said. “The House version eliminates elementary schools, adds colleges and caps the student age at 20. I urge the House to recede.”

The bill now returns to the House of Delegates.

SB 559 – Relating to Spousal Privilege

A measure of protection for children that has been shuffled throughout legislation this session is Senate Bill 559.

As originally presented, the bill expanded the exceptions to spousal privilege of not being compelled to testify against a spouse to exclude cases in which the offense at issue was committed against any child rather than a child of one or both spouses.

The Senate rejected the House’s amendments and proposed their own.

“The House amended to add a number of new exceptions to spousal privilege,” Takubo, R-Kanawha, said. “The proposed Senate amendment limits the exception of spousal privilege in instances where a spouse commits an offense against a minor.”

The amendment adopted by the Senate with 33 yeas, 0 nays. The bill now goes to the House for their concurrence.

SB 577 – Insulin Co-Pay Cost Reduction Heads to Governor’s Desk

Senate Bill 577 aims to reduce the co-pay cap on insulin and related treatment devices and permit the purchase of testing equipment without a prescription.

On the last day of the 2023 session, the Senate accepted the bill’s House amendments and passed the bill.

“To limit cost sharing to 35 per 30 day supplies of insulin,” said Takubo. The amendment changes the effective date and makes technical changes.

The bill passed both chambers and will take effect Jan. 1, 2024.

SB 273 – Reallocating CPS workers by population

After passing technical amendments, the Senate passed Senate Bill 273, to allocate child protective service workers in counties according to the average caseload per county and the county population based on the 2020 Census.

The bill now goes to the House for their concurrence.

Lawmakers Discuss Women’s Health Care Legislation

On this episode of The Legislature Today, with West Virginia’s abortion ban clarified and solidified in state code by recent legislation, Appalachia Health News Reporter Emily Rice speaks with Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and Del. Ric Griffith, D-Wayne, on women’s and maternal health in West Virginia.

On this episode of The Legislature Today, with West Virginia’s abortion ban clarified and solidified in state code by recent legislation, Appalachia Health News Reporter Emily Rice speaks with Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and Del. Ric Griffith, D-Wayne, on women’s and maternal health in West Virginia.

Also, late Wednesday afternoon, the House Finance Committee advanced a $4.6 billion general revenue budget. In a surprise move, Gov. Jim Justice increased the state revenue estimate by $850 million.

A bill to require police training for contact with persons with autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s or related dementias passed the House of Delegates on Thursday morning. As Emily Rice reports, the bill now awaits the governor’s signature.

The Senate Education Committee took up a bill Thursday aimed at addressing the state’s bus driver shortage. Chris Schulz has more.

Finally, musicians, theater folks, painters and sculptors filled the Capitol rotunda on Arts Day at the 2023 West Virginia Legislature. Randy Yohe reports he found themes of longevity among the muses, along with an amiable artistic forecast for the future.

Having trouble viewing the video below? Click here to watch it on YouTube.

The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.

Watch or listen to new episodes Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.