PHILADELPHIA, PA (November 13, 2013)—Fox Chase Cancer Center is partnering with the Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) and Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) on the second annual joint initiative to educate America’s veterans on their individual risk of developing lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths, and the life-saving benefits of early detection using low-dose CT scans.
The initiative, which has been expanded to 14 medical centers across the nation this year, up from eight centers last year, will be held on various dates on or around Veterans Day and will offer veterans free risk assessment and help arranging for screenings when necessary.
Walter Reed National Medical Military Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the nation’s flagship facility for military healthcare, and the two organizing groups will join with these select medical centers to offer screening opportunities and conduct outreach and education to local veterans groups. These 14 centers, in eleven states are part of LCA’s broader National Framework for Excellence in Lung Cancer Screening and Continuum of Care.
The initiative is being implemented at these centers throughout the month of November. Fox Chase Cancer Center, specifically, will be hosting “Together Facing Lung Cancer”—a FREE educational event for the community—on Saturday, November 16 from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. in the main corridor of the Robert C. Young Pavilion on the Fox Chase Cancer Center campus in northeast Philadelphia (333 Cottman Avenue). To register for the FREE event visit http://www.foxchase.org/Together2013 or contact Denise Silberberger at [email protected] or 215-214-4297.
Veterans are at increased risk for lung cancer because of higher smoking rates and exposures during their military service to known cancer-causing agents, such as Agent Orange, asbestos and battlefield combustibles.
The following medical centers will be participating in the initiative:
- Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
- The Center for Chest Care, Fayetteville, AR
- Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center, Middletown, CT
- WellStar Health System, Marietta, GA
- Coliseum Cancer Institute, Macon, GA
- Franciscan St. Francis Health, Indianapolis, IN
- Norton Healthcare, Louisville, KY
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD
- Methodist Hospital/Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center, Omaha, NE
- Maimonides Cancer Center, Brooklyn, NY
- Stony Brook Medicine Lung Cancer Evaluation Center, Stony Brook, NY
- John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, Port Jefferson, NY
- Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, MA
- Mercy Health Saint Mary's Lacks Cancer Center, Grand Rapids, MI
Screening those at high risk with low-dose CT scans can identify lung cancer at an early and most curable stage even before symptoms occur.
About Lung Cancer Alliance
Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) is committed to saving lives by helping people, building our community and advancing screening and research. LCA provides live, professional support, referral and information services to patients, their loved ones and those at risk for lung cancer; conducts national awareness campaigns; and advocates for multiple millions in public health dollars for lung cancer research. For more information please visit www.lungcanceralliance.org.
About Vietnam Veterans of America
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is the only national Vietnam veterans’ organization congressionally chartered and primarily dedicated to Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA’s goals are to promote and support the full range of issues important to Vietnam veterans, and to change public perception of Vietnam veterans, at the same time that they live up to the founding principle, “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.” VVA is concerned about the high risk of lung cancer in every generation of veterans, from veterans who served in WWII and Korea to those serving in Afghanistan today.
About the National Framework for Excellence in Screening and Continuum of Care
Developed by Lung Cancer Alliance to help insure that lung cancer screening is done safely, equitably and well at responsible sites with a multi-disciplinary team of doctors overseeing the screening and treatment process. Available at screenforlungcancer.org.