COVINGTON – In its continuing effort to combat stubbornly low population health metrics in South Louisiana, St. Tammany Health System on Thursday (July 10) rolled out its latest mobile screening unit, a first-in-the-region lung screening vehicle designed to bring potentially life-saving cancer screenings directly into the community.
The Breathe Well ConneCTion joins the health system’s Be Well Bus, a mobile mammography unit in service since May 2021, in crisscrossing the parish to visit local festivals, health fairs and other community gatherings.
“Our longstanding commitment to our Northshore friends and neighbors is right there in our health system’s motto: to deliver world-class healthcare close to home for everyone we serve,” health system President and CEO Joan Coffman said. “Thanks to the Be Well Bus, and now the Breathe Well ConneCTion, that care is closer to home than ever before.”
In addition to providing quick and painless lung screenings through an advanced low-dose CT unit, the Breathe Well ConneCTion also employs AI-powered technology to offer a multi-organ approach that further addresses coronary calcium in the heart, aorta measurements and bone density in the vertebra.
“These really are remarkable tools, and I applaud everyone who helped make it become reality,” Coffman said. “Now let’s roll!”
She was joined Thursday by other health system leaders, as well as local dignitaries and various community stakeholders. That included local gridiron hero Rich Mauti, whose family-run Mauti Cancer Fund provided key funding, in the amount of $500,000, to put the bus on the road.
“This thing does maybe 2,500, 3,000 screenings a year,” Mauti said. “That’s a lot of people, and if we catch one and save one life, it’s well worth it. I’m humbled to be here to kick this thing off. … I’m so confident we’re just going to knock it out of the park.”
Additional supporters of the lung vehicle include members of the all-volunteer St. Tammany Hospital Guild as well as donors to St. Tammany Health Foundation’s 2024 Giving Tuesday drive.
St. Tammany Health System Chief Operating Officer Jack Khashou said the Breathe Well ConneCTion is a four-wheeled embodiment of the health system’s commitment to the community, pointing out that Louisiana currently ranks near the bottom of the list nationally when it comes to early diagnosis.
“We want to help change that,” Khashou said. “This is why we do it. This is why we embrace opportunities like this: because we know that we can impact lives in a positive way.”
In an illustration of the Breathe Well ConneCTion’s value to the community, its introduction coincided with a free screening event for local firefighters, as called for in a 2024 act of the state Legislature in acknowledgment of firefighters’ increased risk for cancer due to the nature of their work.
“I am grateful for St Tammany Health System providing convenient, mobile health screenings for first responders of our community – the very people we rely on in life’s most difficult moments,” local State Rep. Kim Carver said in a statement. “It’s hard to imagine a more impactful service – making vital screenings easier and more accessible for the heroes we depend on!”
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About St. Tammany Health System
The heartbeat of its community, St. Tammany Health System cares for patients and families with excellence, compassion and teamwork. It is recognized for quality, safety and service excellence by CareChex, Leapfrog, Healthgrades, Hospital Compare, Women’s Choice and US News & World Report. St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 and Ochsner Health work together in partnership to improve the community’s health and quality of life. Together, west St. Tammany’s top two independent health leaders represent the most complete system of care, aligning behind the common goals of improving access, expanding specialty care and making care affordable. Under their agreement, each retains its autonomy; neither manages nor owns the other. Self-supporting, not-for-profit STHS is A+ rated by Fitch and receives no tax funding. More at StTammany.health.