The Haliburton Highlands has introduced a new lung screening program aimed at detecting lung cancer earlier, when treatment is more effective and outcomes are better.
According to Gail Kennedy, Director of Diagnostics at Haliburton Highlands Health Services, the program, developed in partnership with Lakeridge Health, reflects a commitment to preventive care, improved access to screening, and long-term community health closer to home.
“The end goal is to hopefully save potential lives through early detection. It’s also that lung cancer is often diagnosed at a later stage due to the late-blooming symptoms,” she said. “By offering the screening to people at higher risk, we can identify those concerns sooner and connect patients to the care earlier.”
She said the program also raises awareness about health and lung care screening, smoking cessation and the importance of regular preventative health care.
Kennedy said the program is available for eligible adults at risk for lung cancer. The patient must be 55 to 80 years of age and have smoked commercial tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, for a total of 20 years or more. Those years do not have to be consecutive.
Sara Ashton, Senior Project Lead with Lakeridge Health, said that being referred does not automatically mean a person is eligible for screening.
She said individuals must go through a series of steps, including a virtual phone appointment where they answer a set of questions that are used to generate a risk score.
“That score will indicate if someone is eligible to continue on with screening, and the screening is with a low-dose CT, and that’s the part that will be at Haliburton,” she said.
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