Statewide, AZ – (Nov. 19, 2024) – Welcome to our Leader Lens series, where we explore the visions of community leaders dedicated to enhancing support for Arizona’s veterans. During a recent Team of Teams meeting, leaders were asked: If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about our work or our military and veteran community, what would it be? Each response brought a unique vision to light, underscoring the variety of needs within the veteran community.

Today, we’re focusing on the insights of Sylvia Preston, who is passionate about expanding mental healthcare accessibility for women veterans. Sylvia’s deep commitment to veterans stems from her role as both a Housing Specialist and a Certified Veteran Service Officer for the Navajo Nation. Sylvia has seen firsthand the challenges veterans face, especially in rural and underserved areas. Her work involves supporting veterans with housing needs, understanding their benefits, and connecting them with resources. Her experience with veterans of diverse backgrounds has highlighted the critical gaps in mental health services, particularly for women veterans, who encounter unique challenges when transitioning back to civilian life.

The Vision: Expanding Mental Healthcare for Women Veterans

Sylvia’s vision is focused on creating a more inclusive and accessible mental healthcare system that addresses the specific needs of women veterans. She believes that more comprehensive mental health services, especially those that account for gender-specific experiences, could greatly enhance the well-being and long-term resilience of women veterans across the Navajo Nation and beyond.

Sylvia’s vision shines a light on the need for greater mental healthcare access for women veterans—a segment of the veteran community that has often been overlooked in traditional service structures. For many, mental health support is essential for a successful transition, yet accessibility remains a significant barrier.

In many cases, women veterans have reported feeling that their unique experiences are not fully understood or addressed within the existing system. Sylvia envisions a healthcare framework that not only expands mental health access but also adapts to the specific needs of women. This could include gender-specific counseling, trauma-informed care, and an increase in services that account for experiences unique to women in the military, such as service-related trauma, family reintegration, and balancing their various roles within their communities.

Expanding accessibility also means reaching women veterans in rural and remote areas, where access to specialized mental healthcare can be especially challenging. Sylvia sees an opportunity to leverage local resources and partnerships to make mental health services more available to women veterans within the Navajo Nation and other rural areas. By doing so, she hopes to bridge the gap that leaves so many women veterans underserved.

Sylvia’s vision calls us to recognize and address the specific needs of women veterans. This isn’t just about expanding services—it’s about creating a welcoming, inclusive environment where women veterans feel seen, supported, and valued. Imagine a community where every woman veteran has access to the mental healthcare she needs, no matter where she lives.