The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute has launched a fleet of mobile lung cancer screening vans to reach rural and medically underserved communities across the state.
Each coach is equipped with a Philips Incisive CT 5100 scanner and runs on battery and solar-power systems, according to UAMS. Two of the three coaches are now in service, with a third to follow shortly.
The vans are funded by a $4 million appropriation administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. UAMS staff will coordinate eligibility, insurance verification, and follow-up care, and patients will also receive tobacco cessation counseling, the institute said. Statewide maps of lung cancer incidence and mortality will guide where the vans are deployed.
Under Arkansas’ Act 390, which took effect January 1, Medicaid and commercial insurance plans must cover lung cancer screening for eligible individuals, UAMS noted.
