A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

BBB Trends: Local groups ‘Stand as One for Women Veterans’ and ask your help with their event


By Sandra Guile
Better Business Bureau

Women veterans are heroes, yet many of them aren’t appropriately acknowledged for their service. Studies reveal female service members don’t feel as respected or valued as their male veteran counterparts, despite their own honorable military achievements. This relatively unseen community faces unique challenges.

For example, many female veterans are frequently the victims of sexual assault and harassment. According to the VA Medical Center, about 1 in 5 women veterans report sexual assault and 71 to 90 percent report experiencing sexual harassment during the course of their military service. These experiences result in more cases of PTSD than symptoms that were related to their combat history.

These experiences, feelings, and emotions can lead to a women veteran to not seeking treatment or using their VA benefits simply because they feel they don’t qualify for the same services or actively seek help in their own community. There are 12,000 women vets in the tristate area. Only 3,700 of them are receiving care at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center and community-based outpatient clinics.

Nationally, women veterans are the fastest growing group of veterans with an estimated 1.6 million as of 2017. This number is expected to grow to 2.2 million by 2045. Several of them have a higher percentage of service-connected disabilities, do not have a personal income and are more likely to be living in poverty when compared to male Veterans. Yet, a lower percentage of women veterans use the VA health care benefits they are entitled to.

Faced with the realities of homelessness, mental health issues or a major financial crisis, BBB Center for Ethics, Furniture Fair, and the VA Medical Center present Standing As One for Women Veterans. This is an inaugural event spotlighting the unique situation local women vets face and that kicked it off January 28 with a personal hygiene product drive.

Products such as shampoo, soap, deodorant, sanitary products, and other hair products may be dropped off at any Furniture Fair store in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. Brand new items will be accepted at these locations until Monday, March 11.

All of the items will then be collected by volunteers who will then assemble them into gift bags that will be distributed during a Veterans Military Appreciation Event, Saturday, March 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Furniture Fair, 7200 Dixie Highway Fairfield, OH 45014. The free event will have resource tables for job seekers, legal information, VA Medical Center information, a kid’s area, and refreshments.

More information about the product drive and the Veterans Military Appreciation Event is available at cincyvets.org.

Sandra Guile is the Public Relations Specialist for BBB. She promotes BBB’s message of marketplace ethics through public speaking engagements, presentations, media relations, press releases, web content, and other written materials. Your BBB is located at 1 East 4th Street Suite 600 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 – to reach the office, call (513) 421-3015.


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