Expanding access to cancer care for rural Veterans

Michael Donnelly, a Marine Corps Veteran, never imagined that receiving cancer survivorship support could happen so close to home. Before VA’s expanding access to cancer care initiative, Donnelly and his wife were often driving a grueling 280-mile round trip twice a week to the nearest VA Medical Center in Sacramento. “It’s been a huge blessing to not have to travel as much,” said Donnelly.

Donnelly, a gastric cancer survivor, receives fluid infusions twice a week after his surgery to remove the cancer left his stomach a mere six centimeters. With this support now only an hour away and based at the VA Redding Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), Donnelly is able to efficiently stack his appointments to reduce travel time and overall time spent away from home.

Program origins and evolution

Historically, Veterans in need of cancer care and survivorship support reported significant challenges: lengthy travel, extended wait times, financial burdens from transportation and potential lost wages from having to miss work.

The program originated in 2021 at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System with the innovative “Roving RN” program. Building on its success, the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System established staffing structures, workflows and policies that became the foundation for the program. Since then, remote infusion programs have expanded to nearly every Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN), delivering thousands of treatments with high adherence rates and minimal medical emergencies.

VA’s National Oncology Program implemented this transformative initiative to expand access to cancer care for rural Veterans across the country. This remote infusion care delivery model addresses these challenges by bringing cancer and supportive care treatment closer to rural Veterans, either at VA’s existing network of community-based outpatient clinics or directly in their homes.

Remarkable growth and impact

Since January 2025, the program has experienced exponential growth. In that time, nearly 4,000 Veterans received treatment at a remote outpatient clinic, culminating in over 11,000 appointments saving over 900,000 travel miles.

In total, the program offers infusion treatments at 51 clinics across 24 VA Healthcare Systems, with plans to expand.

Veteran feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with consistent VSignals trust scores of 98% or higher, reflecting deep appreciation for reduced travel burdens and maintained continuity with trusted care teams.

Looking ahead

This remote infusion care delivery model will continue to leverage and optimize VA’s existing infrastructure to expand access to rural health care for Veterans.

“This innovative cancer program exemplifies putting Veterans First and the positive impact of brining care closer to Veterans, especially those with cancer who need our best effort to make their lives easier and healthier while they battle this disease,” said Marvin Rydberg, executive director for Operations for Oncology and Precision Medicine.

For Veterans like Donnelly, it isn’t just a program—it’s a lifeline that allows them to focus on what matters most: healing, family and moving forward with dignity and hope.