A $1.1 million custom-designed Mobile Cancer Survivor Clinic fully equipped 18 wheeler is delivering follow-up and screening services to cancer survivors in rural Texas communities. The mobile Cancer Survivor Clinic was initiated by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center’s www.utsouthwestern.edu at the Moncrief Cancer Institute www.moncrief.com an affiliate of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center http://utsmedicine.org/ conditions-specialties/cancer.
The bilingual cancer survivor services will target nine rural North Texas counties covering more than 7,000 square miles where an estimated 15,000 uninsured and underserved cancer survivors often don’t have convenient access to cancer experts and related facilities.
The mobile clinic serves a region where 55 percent of the population is considered medically underserved and where one-third of cancer survivors are considered at risk of failing to adhere to essential follow-up care due to the lack of facilities, lack of transportation, plus other factors.
Starting in April, the mobile clinic will offer 3-D mammography, colon cancer screenings, private exam rooms, and exercise facilities. The mobile clinic will also provide one-on-one training and high-speed telemedicine links to cancer experts and counseling services at the Moncrief Cancer Institute. Staff members include a physician assistant, a certified cancer exercise therapist, a registered dietitian, and a registered nurse navigator to help identify and coordinate resources.
Since its inception May 2011, Moncrief has provided services to more than 6,000 times through its Community Survivorship Program and plans to provide services more than 5,600 times in surrounding rural and underserved areas over the next three years through the support of the William A. and Elizabeth B Moncrief Foundation.