Mobile health unit rolls out cancer screenings to area counties

The “Health on the Move” mobile unit will provide screening and other essential resources in St. Louis and 82 counties in Missouri and Illinois. The counties include Butler, Carter, Stoddard, Wayne and Ripley.

Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is unveiling a rolling resource to improve community health across the region, Siteman said in a press release.

The 40-foot “Health on the Move” community van, operated by Siteman’s Program for Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD), will bring cancer screenings directly to residents of St. Louis and 82 counties in Missouri and Illinois. The van also offers a motorized lift to ensure accessibility for all.

“Siteman Cancer Center is delivering on our mission to prevent cancer in the community and transform the care of patients through scientific discovery,” said Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, Siteman’s director. “By bringing screening, education and prevention strategies out of clinics and into communities, Siteman is extending the reach of our world-class care and research, providing greater access to community members and their families and friends.”

Eberlein joined Bettina F. Drake, PhD, Siteman’s associate director of community outreach and engagement; Rick L. Stevens, president of Christian Hospital; and other community and patient advocacy leaders March 8 to unveil the Health on the Move van at Siteman Cancer Center at Northwest HealthCare in north St. Louis County.

The mobile unit will travel throughout the greater region — from Jefferson City, Mo., to the Indiana and Kentucky borders and from Springfield, Ill., to the Missouri Bootheel — starting in late March.

Available services include:

• Fecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT kits), which are take-home stool screening tests for colorectal cancer – an alternative to colonoscopies

• Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) tests for the early detection of prostate cancer

• Blood sugar tests to detect elevated blood sugar, a risk factor for diabetes

• Educational resources to help prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses

• The latest Information on family history, genetics and hereditary cancer and clinical trials

Missouri has the nation’s 10th highest cancer death rate, and the 10th highest death rate due to heart disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Illinois ranks 25th and 22nd, respectively. For diabetes, Missouri is 29th and Illinois 39th.

The overall effects of chronic diseases, including cancer, are greater among populations in rural and urban areas that have limited access to health care, said Drake, who also is a Washington University professor of surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences. The Health on the Move van addresses this need by delivering internationally recognized research findings and disease screening services to people who need it most.

“Siteman Cancer Center is focused on region-wide impact over time,” Drake said. “Through our Health on the Move van and other community-focused initiatives, we are widening health-care access to all, putting initiatives in motion that increase screenings and more. When we diagnose cancer and other diseases at earlier stages, we catch them when they are most treatable — and can offer the best opportunity for full recovery.”

Initial screenings are free whether someone has health insurance or not, but an appointment is necessary. PECaD will work with uninsured individuals to find health- care coverage for any recommended follow-up care.

The Health on the Move van will be staffed by Washington University care-team members, including phlebotomists and public health coordinators. All tests will be read by Washington University clinicians, with results typically available two to three weeks after screening. Normal results will be sent by mail and through MyChart for those with accounts. MyChart is a secure online tool that allows patients to access their medical records and communicate directly with health-care providers. Patients with abnormal test results will receive a personal call to discuss next steps.

The van will make stops in the city of St. Louis and these Missouri counties: Audrain, Bollinger, Boone, Butler, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Cole, Crawford, Dent, Dunklin, Franklin, Gasconade, Iron, Jefferson, Lincoln, Madison, Maries, Marion, Mississippi, Montgomery, New Madrid, Osage, Pemiscot, Perry, Phelps, Pike, Ralls, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, St. Charles, St. Francois, St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard, Warren, Washington and Wayne.

The Illinois counties are: Adams, Alexander, Bond, Calhoun, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jersey, Johnson, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pike, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Clair, Saline, Sangamon, Scott, Shelby, Union, Washington, Wayne, White and Williamson.

For information about van stops and available appointment times, visit siteman.wustl.edu/communityvan.

Learn more about other disease prevention initiatives at Siteman:

• Get Screened Now, which outlines cancer screening recommendations and suggests other locations that offer screening

• Your Disease Risk, a tool that assesses one’s risk of 12 types of cancer and six other diseases and provides personalized tips for reducing risk

• 8ightWays®, a portfolio of cancer prevention resources

• For Your Health, a monthly wellness series