University to launch 1 of largest mobile cancer screening fleets in US
Leaders are launching what they believe to be the largest mobile cancer screening fleet in the U.S. in an “unprecedented” bid to quash America’s biggest cancer killer.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences officially announced the initiative on Friday with the arrival of its first vans. UAMS notes that lung cancer kills about 2,000 Arkansans, far exceeding the national average.
Despite this, like elsewhere, screening rates remain low in the Natural State. With the help of a $4 million appropriation from Health and Human Services, the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is now rolling out 2 of 3 new state-of-the-art mobile lung screening coaches, with the third following soon.
When fully operational, the program will operate six total units, which leaders contend would represent the biggest roving cancer-screening fleet in America.
“By bringing these units to where people live and work, we are removing some of the biggest barriers to screening—transportation, time, and cost,” UAMS Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, MD, said in a statement Oct. 23. “This effort reflects our commitment to rural health.”
Each coach is equipped with a Philips CT 5100 scanner, able to provide quality scans at low-radiation doses. The units operating using advanced battery and solar-power system, designed for safe and efficient use. UAMS is using statewide maps of lung cancer incidence and mortality to help guide their deployment and reach the highest-need areas. The university plans to track progress by measuring participation rates, early disease detection, and any reduction in later-stage diagnoses.
Insurance verification, screening eligibility checks and follow-up care will be coordinated by Rockefeller Cancer Institute employees. Under local legislation that took effect Jan. 1, Medicaid and commercial insurance plans are required to cover lung cancer screening services for all eligible individuals. Those screened through the program also will receive tobacco cessation counselling and other resources.
“Arkansas has some of the highest lung cancer rates in the country with far too many families losing loved ones to a disease that is survivable when detected early,” added Michael Birrer, MD, PhD, vice chancellor of UAMS and director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. “These mobile screening units will fundamentally change access to cancer care by taking lifesaving screening directly to the communities that need it most.”
UAMS also has operated a mobile breast imaging unit, dubbed the MammoVan, for over 16 years. To further expand access, it has launched a second scanner with plans to deploy a third, “creating more opportunities for patients to access life-saving cancer screenings closer to home.”
HHS funding was secured with the help of Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman, who attended the launch event.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.