Chicago City Wire

Veterans in Indiana who are undergoing cancer treatment now have expanded options for care through the Adam Benjamin Jr. Veterans Affairs Clinic. The clinic has introduced the “Close to Me” program, which allows veterans to receive certain cancer-related infusion or injection treatments, including immunotherapy and supportive medications, at their local VA clinic instead of traveling to a larger VA medical center.

Sarah Unterman, Chief of Staff for Jesse Brown VA, said, “Providing high-quality and timely health care to America’s Veterans is what VA does best. We are always looking for ways to increase access to care and improve the Veteran experience. The ‘Close to Me’ program showcases how VA puts Veterans first by reducing wait and travel times.”

The program enables specialized VA clinicians to either travel or be assigned directly to outpatient clinics, delivering a full range of cancer care services on site. This initiative is designed to minimize the time veterans spend traveling for treatment so they can focus on recovery and wellbeing.

Initially developed as a solution for veterans in rural areas who faced barriers accessing cancer treatment, the “Close to Me” program has grown rapidly and is now available in more than 70 VA clinics nationwide.

The VA Chicago Health Care System oversees five service locations across a seven-county area in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. This includes the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and four community-based outpatient clinics in Chicago and Crown Point, Indiana. The system is part of the Veterans Integrated Service Network 12 (VISN 12), which covers Wisconsin, Illinois, northwestern Indiana, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.