Rural, minority and women veterans welcome to discuss issues at virtual town hall event

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Veterans living in rural areas may have difficulty accessing health services. Some face poverty, homelessness and substance abuse disorder, which can make their health issues worse.

Additionally, many of them are unaware of the benefits, services and facilities available to them through the VA. The Brazos Valley Marine Corps League Detachment #1391 is trying to change that.

Doris Carter, the detachment’s information officer and the moderator for this month’s virtual town hall with the Center for Minority Veterans was on First News at Four on Monday.

Carter says one of the big issues veterans in rural areas face is getting to their appointments and the accessibility of getting into the facilities. Additionally, there are not enough mental health resources available.

“We do have some mental health [resources] here, but we definitely need an expansion on it for our minority and rural communities,” Carter said.

Carter says specifically, women veterans don’t have some health screenings available, such as annual exams like mammograms.

“A lot of us either opt to go out of the community here or we go to Temple to get that done,” Carter said. “But even when we go into the community here, we still have a substantial wait time to get into it. It can be up to three months at times.”

Education is key when it comes to veteran healthcare. That’s why the Brazos Valley Marine Corps League is partnering with the Center for Minority Veterans on May 27 from 2-3 p.m., for a virtual town hall event. Vets will get a chance to address access to VA healthcare and benefits, with emphasis on rural, minority and women veterans.

Click here to register for the virtual town hall event.

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