Residents in Chattooga County will have an opportunity Wednesday to take advantage of low-dose CT lung cancer screenings when the CommonSpirit Memorial Hospital Breathe Easy Mobile Lung Screening Coach visits Trion.

The mobile unit will be at Mount Vernon Mills, 91 Fourth Street in Trion, on Wednesday, August 19, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The community is invited, and walk-ins are welcome.

The mobile program uses low-dose CT technology to look for signs of lung cancer before symptoms appear. According to information from CommonSpirit Memorial Hospital, detecting lung cancer early can significantly improve the chances of successful treatment.

Some individuals who meet screening criteria may qualify to have the screening covered by insurance or through available grant assistance.

Screening criteria generally include people between the ages of 50 and 80 who have a significant smoking history of at least 20 pack-years and are either current smokers or former smokers who quit less than 15 years ago. Those being screened should have no signs or symptoms of lung cancer and should not have had a chest CT within the previous 12 months. Medicare eligibility listed by the program is for ages 50 to 77.

A pack-year is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years a person smoked.

For those who do not meet the criteria for covered or grant-funded screening but would still like to be screened, a discounted self-pay option of $150 is available. Easy payment plans are also available.

The Breathe Easy mobile unit’s low-dose CT scan is non-invasive, requires no needles or dyes and takes less than a minute to perform. The program also says its mobile lung CT screenings include a cardiac calcium score, providing additional information about heart health.

Anyone who believes they may be at risk or would like to schedule an appointment can call 423-495-LUNG (5864) for more information.

Again, the Breathe Easy Mobile Lung Screening Coach will be at Mount Vernon Mills, 91 Fourth Street in Trion, Wednesday, August 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome.