Local medical centers receive lung cancer grant for prevention, screenings

The Community Medical and St. Joseph’s Cancer centers have been awarded more than $100,000 to address lung cancer mortality by increasing screenings and supporting efforts to stop smoking.

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lung cancer concept. doctor explaining results of lung check up from x-ray scan chest on digital tablet screen to patient.

The $110,000 grant was given to the San Joaquin County medical care providers by The American Cancer Society, National Football League and San Francisco 49ers, according to a news release.

“Community Medical Centers is proud to work with St. Joseph’s Medical Center, the NFL and the American Cancer Society to increase lung cancer screening in our community,” Ginger Manss, Community Medical Centers’ chief nursing officer, said in the news release. “This is a project close to my heart as I have worked in cancer care for most of

my nursing career and my father died of Stage 4 Lung Cancer many years ago and would have benefitted from risk-associated screening.”

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women, while being the second-most diagnosed, the release said.

“Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined,” CMC officials said in the release. “The ACS estimates there will be nearly 229,000 new lung cancer cases and more than 135,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. in 2020.”

The grants are part of the ACS’s Community Health Advocates implementing Nationwide Grants for Empowerment and Equity — or CHANGE — program, officials said, “which provides funding opportunities to reduce cancer disparities.”

“St. Joseph’s Cancer Institute is excited to collaborate with Community Medical Centers, NFL and ACS to increase the early detection of lung cancer in our community,” Kathryn Langford, Cancer Institute director at St. Joseph’s Medical Center, said in the release. “Lung cancer symptoms typically do not appear until the disease has progressed to later stages and we would like to improve early detection through the Low Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening exam.” 

Contact reporter Cassie Dickman at (209) 546-8299 or [email protected] Follow her on Twitter @byCassieDickman. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: Local medical centers receive lung cancer grant for prevention, screenings