AKRON, Ohio — The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System announced Friday that the first northeast Ohio satellite cancer treatment center has opened within the Akron VA Outpatient Clinic.
The system said the VA’s Close to Me cancer care program, which provides cancer diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance services, aims to reduce the need for veterans to drive further for treatment. Many times, they end up having to drive one to three hours to the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center for infusion treatment. Having a cancer treatment center in Akron allows veterans and caregivers more time to focus on healing, the system said.
“The benefit of a nearby Akron Clinic infusion service also isn’t just seen in hours recovered for patients, but in treatment success, and data from other VA locations shows clinic-based local infusion sites can cut appointment no-shows in half,” said the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System in a press release. “Due to possible difficulties with transportation to distant medical center infusion treatment locations, patients may sometimes not be able to keep up with a full treatment regimen, skipping whole days or weeks when transportation became an issue.”
Additionally, the Akron VA Clinic Infusion Center will allow veterans to utilize VA care.
“This infusion center ensures that our veterans in the Akron area have access to the high-quality cancer care they deserve within the comfort and support of their own community,” said Dr. Michelle Treasure, chief of Medical Oncology at the LSCVAMC. “With the opening of the new Center we estimate serving an additional 750 veterans a year with cancer much closer to home, under the care of our growing oncology care team in Akron.”
The Close to ME infusion program had a pilot program at the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, and in March 2023, 12 VA facilities in the U.S. were selected for implementing eight community-based outpatient clinic care models, three home care models and one mobile infusion unit. Cleveland was among those selected.
In April, the VA announced another expansion of the Close to Me cancer care program, which will bring services to another 9,000 veterans across 30 locations by the fall of next year.
For more information on the Close to Me cancer care program, click here.
Lydia Taylor
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