Mobile lung cancer screening clinic comes to the Pilbara

Heart of Australia, a mobile specialist healthcare provider, will visit the Pilbara at the end of February to deliver the National Lung Cancer Screening Program.

The mobile clinic, HEART7, will be in Roebourne from February 23 to 24, located at the rear of Mawarnkarra Health Service.

It will then travel to Exmouth from February 26 to 27, operating from the Exmouth Visitor Centre.

Heart of Australia provides equitable access to specialist health care for rural, remote and First Nations communities, giving country Australians a greater chance to live long and healthy lives.

The organisation operates a unique healthcare model, with mobile clinics fitted with the same equipment found in specialist practices, allowing doctors to consult, diagnose and treat patients in a single appointment.

Heart of Australia head of stakeholder and community engagement, Deb Guion, said equitable access to health care was a leading priority for Heart of Australia and the National Lung Cancer Screening Program.

“We know that survival rates for lung cancer are significantly higher when detected early,” she said.

“In bringing HEART 7 with its mobile CT scanner to the Kimberley and Pilbara, our focus is to reduce travel to radiology services for participants and ensure people living in rural and remote areas have the same opportunity to access this life-saving screening program.

“We’ve worked closely with healthcare providers to develop the program for the local communities we will visit, and welcome all people between the ages of 50-70 who smoke tobacco cigarettes to visit their health professional and discuss their eligibility for the program.”

Since 2014, Heart of Australia has treated more than 20,000 unique patients, saved 900 lives, and reduced patient travel by more than 53 million kilometres for specialist appointments and testing.

The service has also received more than 47,000 referrals from over 3000 rural and remote general practitioners.

Lung cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Australia and remains the leading cause of cancer-related death.

To be eligible for the National Lung Cancer Screening Program, participants must be aged between 50 and 70 years, have no symptoms of lung cancer, and be current smokers or have quit within the past 10 years with a smoking history of at least 30 years.

Eligible participants will receive a bulk-billed CT scan with no out-of-pocket costs.

Access to the program requires a referral from a healthcare provider.

If Heart of Australia is recommended as the service provider, the patient’s healthcare provider will organise the referral on their behalf.

For more information about Heart of Australia visit: heartofaustralia.com.au