Veteran receives cutting edge cancer care close to home

Here's how Veterans receive cutting edge cancer care close to home.

Veterans enrolled in VA health care are more likely to live in rural areas compared to the general population with about one third of Veterans living in rural areas compared to 19% of Americans nationwide.

When a Veteran is diagnosed with cancer, traveling to far away hospitals in urban areas can make the idea of receiving treatment for their cancer feel even more daunting. That's because 66% of rural communities do not have access to an oncologist-the medical provider who specializes in caring for cancer and guiding patients' treatment.

For Marine Corps Veteran Thomas Carlson-who lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota-geography could have been a barrier when he was diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer in 2019. But thanks to innovative VA solutions that brought cutting-edge care to him, it wasn't.

Access to VA's best care regardless of where Veterans live

As seen in a new video, Carlson received care for his prostate cancer from Dr. Michael Kelley, executive director of VA's National Oncology Program at Durham VA. Thanks to National TeleOncology, which connects cancer specialists from VA medical centers across the country to Carlson's local Sioux Falls care team, Carlson received his prostate cancer care without having to spend hours traveling or treatments.

"They take care of people here and I know I got a good doctor," Carlson said of his treatment.

"VA's National Oncology Program has expanded telehealth options so the Veteran can be anywhere and the specialists can be anywhere else so the two can come together to get seamless care within the system where all providers can have access to the patient," explained Dr. Carolyn Menendez, director of VA's Comprehensive Genetics Service (CGS), in a new video.

Other ways VA is expanding access to cancer care

VA's Clinical Cancer Genetics Service provides Veterans with cancer genetic counseling that is readily accessible regardless of where they live, including cancer risk assessment, hereditary germline genetic counseling and testing for Veterans.

Under VA's Close to Me cancer care service, care teams travel to provide Veterans with the full continuum of cancer care at local outpatient clinics like community-based outpatient clinics or other VA facilities often in rural locations. Close to Me ensures more Veterans have the option to choose VA for their cancer care journey. By reducing travel demands to major and often urban medical centers, Veterans and their caregivers are afforded more time to go about their daily lives and focus on healing.

Learn more

Read more about VA's work to improve Veterans' access to cancer care. Visit My HealthVet to speak with your health care team, so together you can manage your health.

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