BUFFALO, N.Y. — Some welcomed health news for local firefighters.
For the first time in the U.S., firefighters here in Buffalo will be screened for lung cancer no matter their smoking history.
Roswell Park and the Buffalo Fire Department are expanding lung cancer screening with Eddy, the mobile screening unit.
"Our teams have worked so hard to get this mobile lung cancer screening unit on the road this was a tall task it was done in record time because we wanted this life-saving cancer screening easier, more accessible, and equitable. We want everybody who should be screened to get screened. We have a tremendous opportunity here to save a lot of lives."
Eddy, or "Early Detection Driven to You", is funded by the state and private donations to bring screenings to people that might not normally have access.
Over 90% of women get the mammogram they need to detect breast cancer, but less than 6% of people that should be checked for lung cancer actually get screened.
“We set out to make lung cancer screening easier, more accessible, and more equitable so that everyone who should be screened can be screened,” says Roswell Park President, CEO, and M&T Bank Presidential Chair in Leadership [v]Candace S. Johnson, Ph.D. “We have a powerful opportunity to change the trajectory of lung cancer in our communities, and we were able to build this program only through the enthusiastic support and collaboration of our partners from all corners — government, municipal services, and the business world.”