Patient Carl Anderson gets checked out Tuesday by Dr. Jean-Paul Michaud at Cary Medical Center in Caribou, avoiding the long drive to the Togus VA Medical Center in the Augusta area under a program that allows veterans to go to nearby private medical centers.

Radiology technician Kristie Kelley assists VA patient Carl Anderson at Cary Medical Center in Caribou. A pilot program that lets veterans go to private hospitals near their homes has an added benefit: Friends and family can easily visit them in the hospital after surgery.

Kris Doody, executive director of Cary Medical Center with on-duty nurses at nursing station, in Caribou.

The new orthopedic treatment facility at Cary Medical Center.

Cary Medical Center offers the chance for some Aroostook County veterans get care at a close-to-home private hospital.