Indiana launched its first mobile lung cancer screening unit on Tuesday thanks to a generous US$4.5-million-dollar donation from the Tom and Julie Wood Family Foundation. This philanthropic organization was established to honour Tom Wood, who lost his life to the disease in 2010.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to commemorate the initiative in Fishers, a small city in the state. The screening truck is equipped with a low-dose CT scanner machine to assess high-risk citizens. It will complete about 2,000 scans throughout Indiana this year.
IU Health and the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center collaborated to make this campaign possible. The screening process only takes about two minutes and results can be provided within two to five days.
“This mobile unit is a game-changer,” said Michael Gieske, a lung cancer screening director from St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Kentucky. “I look forward to seeing the impact it will have on communities across Indiana.”
American Lung Association data shows that only 16.9 per cent of the eligible population were examined last year. This truck will help improve that number significantly.
“Thank you to my colleagues at IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center and IU Health for the grace, grit, and guts it took to get here,” MacKenzie White, Executive Director of the End Lung Cancer Now program at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, commented on social media.
“Now, let’s go save some lives!”
A monumental victory for ALL Hoosiers! Indiana’s first mobile lung cancer screening unit is now here! 🫁
“Your zip code should not determine your destiny.”
Supported by Tom & Julie Wood Family Foundation- Dr. Nasser Hanna, End Lung Cancer Now, IU Health, & @IUCancerCenter pic.twitter.com/ZTwTTus8py
— Misty Dawn Shields (@drshieldsmd) March 4, 2025
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Indiana joins southern neighbour in lung cancer leadership
Many American states aspire to achieve the rate of lung cancer screening efficiency that Kentucky has accomplished.
So much so that Nevada and Mississippi are planning to implement Kentucky’s QUILS (quality implementation of lung cancer screening) program model into their healthcare regimen.
Kentucky is also a leading force in the lung cancer screening technology field with local state companies like Thynk Health and Breath Diagnostics pioneering innovative new technologies.
Now, Indiana has significantly bolstered in stature as a combatting force against this deadly respiratory disease as well.
Approximately 3,200 Indiana citizens died from lung cancer last year.
rowan@mugglehead.com
