Lt. Col. Terese Acocella More than an Ally

Ally for health of military women

A bill in Congress would provide $3 million for a health-services pilot program in South Jersey.

Lt. Col. Terese Acocella of the Army National Guard.

Sep. 26, 2010 - When she heard about the proposal, Lt. Col. Terese Acocella liked it immediately. Health care specifically attuned to thousands of women in the military simply makes sense, she said.

After 25 years in the New Jersey Army National Guard, including a year in Iraq, Acocella knows the needs of female service members - and how different they are from those of their male counterparts.

A $3 million pilot program, part of the defense appropriations bill that Congress is considering, would establish a Women Veterans and Service Members Joint Health Resource Center in South Jersey.

The effort, which could be replicated across the country, would provide "navigators" to connect women in the military and female veterans to health care, including gynecological, obstetric, and breast exams, available through the Department of Veterans Affairs and civilian facilities.

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Female veterans "may not have health insurance through a job and may not be married and have spousal insurance," said Acocella, 45, of Hunterdon County, a member of the state's Commission on Women Veterans, which assesses female veterans' needs and the programs required to meet them.

"There are veterans who are senior citizens with limited health insurance," she added.

The women's program proposal was developed over more than a year during meetings between Virtua representatives; Col. Gina Grosso, commander of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst; and U.S. Rep. John Adler (D., N.J.).

It passed the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense in July and must go before the full House and Senate for approval before going to the president. {read rest}