The CommonSpirit Memorial Hospital Breathe Easy Mobile Lung Screening Coach is in Trion today, Wednesday, August 19, offering low-dose CT lung cancer screenings — and the service is not limited to Mount Vernon Mills employees.

The mobile unit is set up at Mount Vernon Mills, 91 Fourth Street in Trion, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. today, but the screening opportunity is open to the general public. Walk-ins are welcome.

The Breathe Easy program uses low-dose CT technology to look for signs of lung cancer before symptoms appear. Early detection can significantly improve the chances of successful treatment.

People who may qualify for screening generally include those between the ages of 50 and 80 who have at least a 20 pack-year smoking history and are either current smokers or former smokers who quit within the past 15 years. Those being screened should not have 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.

Some people who meet the criteria may qualify to have the screening covered by insurance or through available grant assistance. For those who do not qualify for covered or grant-funded screening but still want to be screened, a discounted self-pay option of $150 is available, with payment plans also offered.

The low-dose CT scan is non-invasive, requires no needles or dyes and takes less than a minute to perform. The mobile screening also includes a cardiac calcium score, which can provide additional information about heart health.

Again, you do not have to work at Mount Vernon Mills to participate. The location is simply serving as the host site for today’s mobile screening event, and members of the public are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 423-495-LUNG (5864). Walk-ins are also welcome between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. today.