LUCAS to offer lung cancer screening in Bradshaw, Gilbert, Nettie, and Summersville

Posted on 8/17/2022

Attention reporters and editors: If you are interested in covering LUCAS when it visits your area, please call Nichole Mosley, WVU Medicine public relations and marketing strategist, at 304-285-7263 in advance. Out of respect for patient privacy, please do not show up at the location without scheduling an appropriate time for interviews and/or photos.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - LUCAS, a first of its kind, state-of-the-art mobile lung cancer screening unit, will visit McDowell, Mingo, and Nicholas counties offering low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans.

A service of WVU Medicine -WVU Hospitals and the WVU Cancer Institute, LUCAS will be at:

• Tug River Riverview Center in Bradshaw from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sep. 14. For an appointment, call Rebecca Kelly at 304-436-4798.
• Southwestern West Virginia Health Systems in Gilbert from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sep. 15. For an appointment, call Cheryl Mitchem at 304-664-2500 ext. 102.
• Panther Creek Elementary in Nettie from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sep. 16. For an appointment, call Jessica Burns at 304-226-5725 ext. 132.
• Summersville Elementary School from 8 a.m. to noon on Sep. 17. For an appointment, call Jessica Burns at 304-226-5725 ext. 132.

Patient and staff safety is a top priority, and extra precautions will be taken during the pandemic. These include staff wearing masks, patients waiting in their car until their appointment time, and thorough sanitization between patients.

The lung cancer screenings are billed to private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare. Uninsured patients living in West Virginia who meet screening criteria can receive their lung cancer screening on LUCAS through the generosity of grant funding and donations. A physician's order and prior authorization from insurance are required to get screened. Appointments must be made 14 or more days in advance of the visit to allow time for insurance pre-authorizations.

LUCAS, an acronym for Lung Cancer Screening, builds upon the success and infrastructure established by Bonnie's Bus. In West Virginia, more people die of lung cancer than colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer combined. LUCAS travels to the 42 counties in the state without easy access to lung cancer screening.

Similar to mammography, regular lung cancer screening can detect cancer early, when it is easier to treat and cure. Both units are part of the WVU Cancer Institute Mobile Cancer Screening Program and work in collaboration with a statewide partnership of clinicians, public health professionals, and other community leaders to reduce the number of deaths from breast and lung cancer in West Virginia.
For information on LUCAS, see WVUCancer.org/LUCAS.

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