The Alberta government and the Alberta Cancer Foundation have partnered with 19 to Zero to help bring mobile lung health units to rural communities across the province.
According to a news release, the screening program will receive $1.5 million to help increase early detection and treatment.
The funds will be matched by the Alberta Cancer Foundation.
“Living outside of a big city shouldn’t mean less access to vital testing and screening services. Early detection is key to successful cancer treatment, and these specialized mobile clinics will bring essential diagnostics to thousands of Albertans in rural, Indigenous, and underserved communities each year,” says Wendy Beauchesne, CEO of the foundation.
The mobile units include a sprinter van for pulmonary function testing and a diagnostic imaging truck.
There will also be computer technology scans, which are used to identify and manage lung diseases.
The pulmonary function testing van will be on the road by the spring of 2025. The CT truck will follow in late summer.
According to the province, one in 13 Albertans will develop lung cancer in their lifetime, and more than 1,500 people die from the disease each year.
StrathmoreNow contacted the Alberta government to see if the vehicles would be heading to town. The Ministry of Health sent us a statement saying they can't comment on which specific areas will receive the mobile units until a website list is created which will be released later.