Close to Me Cancer Care
Durham VA is the first VA Health Care System to provide oncology treatments in a Veteran’s home.
Army Veteran Glenn Spivey suffers from prostate cancer. At 88, it’s not easy for him to drive to the Durham VA for his treatments.
“My wife is 91 and I’m just not as active as I used to be,” Spivey said. “The less we have to hit the road, the better.”
So, VA is going to him.
Durham VA is the first VA Health Care System to provide oncology treatments in a Veteran’s home.
The home visit is part of Close to Me Cancer Care, a VHA national oncology program. Close to Me was originally intended to bring more comprehensive cancer care to VA community-based outpatient clinics. Still, Durham VA Hematology and Radiation Oncology nurse manager Ryan Palmer saw that some cancer treatments and therapies could be done in Veteran’s homes.
“Even a relatively short drive is a big distance for our elderly Veterans, especially when they are suffering from cancer,” Palmer said. “For Veterans like Mr. Spivey, who aren’t receiving chemo, it makes better sense for us to come to him.”
Spivey’s treatment consists of a shot of Eligard, a hormonal medication that prevents his cancer from spreading. The procedure itself is straightforward, an injection in the abdomen every six months.
“I’ve been going to the VA since 1996,” Spivey said. “I like the people [at the main hospital] but I like getting my care here at the house even better.”
This new approach makes care more accessible to Veterans like Spivey, whose distance to the Durham main campus makes him ineligible for Care in the Community, but whose age and mobility difficulties make even visiting local VA community-based outpatient clinics a taxing experience.
Veterans living within 45 minutes to an hour of the Durham VA’s main facility and whose care doesn’t require more complex treatments are eligible.
Effort pays off
Getting this new initiative off the ground was no easy task for Palmer, who worked for nearly two years to make this visit possible, but the visit with Spivey proves the effort was worth it.
“Sometimes I felt like I was never going to be able to get this off the ground,” Palmer said. “To see this come to fruition is awesome. This is great day not for our service, but for our Veterans as well.”
To learn more about VA cancer care, please visit cancer.va.gov.