FirstHealth and Lung Cancer Initiative Partner to Expand Lung Cancer Screening Awareness and Access Across the Sandhills

PINEHURST, N.C. - FirstHealth of the Carolinas and Lung Cancer Initiative (LCI) are proud to announce a partnership to launch the Screening Saves program across the Sandhills region, bringing increased awareness, education and access to lung screening for residents and health care providers throughout central North Carolina.

New Screening Saves Program Seeks to Improve Lung Screening Rates

Screening Saves is a state-wide initiative launched by Lung Cancer Initiative in 2024 to raise awareness and leverage partnerships with health care providers like FirstHealth to improve lung screening rates through community engagement and health care provider education.

Through this partnership, FirstHealth and LCI will work together to promote early detection of lung cancer and reduce barriers that prevent high-risk individuals from receiving potentially life-saving screenings.

Expanding Access Through FirstHealth's Lung Screening Program and Lung Bus

The partnership builds upon FirstHealth's existing efforts to increase lung screening awareness and access, including the FirstHealth Lung Bus, a mobile imaging unit that delivers low-dose CT screenings directly to communities across the health system's 15-county service area.

"We are thrilled to partner with LCI on this important initiative," said Bradley Icard, D.O., medical director of FirstHealth's Lung Screening Program. "Together, we have the opportunity to reach more individuals who may be eligible for lung screening, educate both patients and providers about the benefits of early detection and remove barriers to care. This partnership strengthens the work already underway across our region and will help us improve outcomes for the communities we serve."

"LCI and FirstHealth share a common goal - to expand access to lung screenings and improve early detection rates that ultimately saves lives," said Paige Humble, CEO, Lung Cancer Initiative. "When we partner together and with others throughout the community, we can reach more individuals at high risk, break down barriers to screening and ensure that life-saving resources are readily available to our communities."

The Importance of Early Detection in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, but when detected early, treatment is far more effective. According to Dr. Icard, individuals diagnosed with Stage 1 lung cancer can experience five-year survival rates of 95%, compared with approximately 15% for those diagnosed at Stage IV.

"It only takes about 320 lung screenings to save a life," said Icard. "That's a remarkable impact and underscores why increasing access to screening is so important. When we find lung cancer early, we have a much greater opportunity to successfully treat it."

Through Screening Saves, FirstHealth and LCI will expand lung screening efforts by engaging communities across the region through educational and screening events, provider outreach and targeted awareness campaigns focused on increasing screening rates among at-risk populations.

"Our goal is simple, to save lives through earlier detection," said Icard. "By combining the reach of FirstHealth's Lung Screening program and the Lung Bus with the resources and expertise of Lung Cancer Initiative, we can connect more people with screening and ensure they receive the care they need when it matters most.

Learn More About Lung Screening Services at FirstHealth

For more information about the FirstHealth Lung Bus and lung screening eligibility, visit https://www.firsthealth.org/lungbus.

About Lung Cancer Initiative

As a leading non-profit organization supporting lung cancer research and education, Lung Cancer Initiative specializes in connecting patients, survivors, and loved ones with the medical and research community. The organization's mission is to advance survivorship and provide support to those affected by lung cancer through research, education, and access programs. LCI has funded more than $4.4 million in lung cancer research and assisted thousands of patients in accessing treatment and meeting their basic needs after a lung cancer diagnosis. www.LungCancerInitiative.org

About Screening Saves

Lung Cancer Initiative has established the Screening Saves program to mobilize healthcare providers to raise awareness and prioritize lung screenings for North Carolinians. Screening Saves supports lung screening centers and referring primary care providers in their efforts to increase access to yearly lung screenings and help save the lives of those at high risk. LCI hosts guided quarterly education sessions for providers and screening navigators from across the state and the Southeast. To learn more and participate, please visit screeningsaveslives.org.

About FirstHealth

FirstHealth of the Carolinas is a private, not-for-profit health care network headquartered in Pinehurst, NC. FirstHealth demonstrates a commitment to treating the whole patient and providing quality health care for the entire community - especially those in need.

FirstHealth offers a robust lung screening program to provide those with increased risk access to low-dose CT lung screening, which can catch lung cancer early, when it is more treatable. Low-dose CT scans are available at all four FirstHealth hospitals. We also offer screening on the FirstHealth Lung Bus, a mobile imaging system funded in part by The Foundation of FirstHealth. The Lung Bus travels around the Sandhills to bring life-saving screening to the communities FirstHealth serves.