One in five Albertans lives with a lung condition, yet for many in rural, remote and Indigenous areas, getting tested can mean hours of travel. That’s about to change with the launch of Alberta’s first mobile lung testing vanmobile.
Lung Health Check’s new Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) van is one of the first mobile lung testing units of its kind in Canada.
Community members, partners, and Adriana LaGrange, Alberta’s Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, met in Lacombe last week to celebrate the official launch. The event offered tours of the mobile unit and a look at how it’s helping expand access to essential lung testing across the province.
The Lung Health Check van will travel to rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, helping patients access testing without long drives or time away from work.
Theresa Tang, CEO and Co-Founder, Praxus Health, tells us about about how this innovation is closing care gaps and building healthcare capacity in Alberta.
The van is equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and staffed by a nurse and respiratory therapist. Albertans ages five and up can receive testing with a referral from their primary care provider, at no cost.
According to their media release, PFT’s measure how well the lungs move air and deliver oxygen to the blood, which is a key tool in diagnosing and managing conditions like asthma, COPD, and pulmonary fibrosis.
The Lung Health Check program is coordinated by Praxus Health and Aceso Medical, with funding from AstraZeneca and the Government of Alberta. The two-year pilot will collect data on patient outcomes and experiences to help guide future expansion.
The mobile unit is expected to perform around 1,000 tests each year, reducing pressure on clinics and hospitals while improving access for underserved communities.
For more information and to request the van you can visit http://www.lungcheck.ca.
Comments