14/08/2025
UT Medical Center Announces Expansion of Mobile Screening Services—Bringing Life-Saving Cancer Screenings to East Tennessee
A first-of-its-kind in the region, a 45-foot mobile CT lung cancer screening unit will hit the road across Tennessee this fall.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., August 14, 2025 — The University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) is proud to announce the launch of a major initiative to transform access to life-saving cancer screenings across East Tennessee. This fall, the medical center will deploy a new 45-foot mobile CT lung cancer screening unit—the first of its kind in the region. In addition, UTMC is expanding its longstanding Mobile Mammography program with the launch of a second state-of-the-art mobile mammography unit. Together, these new assets will significantly enhance outreach to rural and underserved communities that face some of the highest cancer mortality rates in the nation.
“These mobile units improve access and deliver care to the people who need it most,” said Dr. Keith Gray, President and CEO of UT Medical Center. “Access to timely screenings can mean the difference between an early-stage and late-stage cancer diagnosis—saving countless lives.”
East Tennessee is home to some of the highest smoking rates and lung cancer death rates in the United States. In counties like Hancock, the adult smoking rate exceeds 30%, and the lung cancer incidence rate is more than triple the national average. While national screening rates for lung cancer remain below 16%, UT Medical Center is working to change that.
The new Mobile Lung Screening Unit will provide low-dose CT scans, on-site smoking cessation support and access to early detection tools in communities where health care is often difficult to access. Staffed by a multidisciplinary team—including a CT technologist, nurses, a community liaison and behavioral health professionals—the unit will bring advanced cancer screening directly to 21 counties across the region.
“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Tennessee, largely because it’s often diagnosed too late,” said Dr. Sean Jordan, Division Chief, Thoracic Surgery and Director of Lung Cancer Screening at UT Medical Center. “With the launch of this mobile CT unit, we can bring low-dose lung screenings directly to high-risk communities—many of which currently have no access to this level of care. Our goal is to detect lung cancer earlier, when treatment is most effective, and ultimately reduce preventable deaths across our region.”
In parallel, UT Medical Center’s original Mobile Mammography Unit has reached capacity, screening more than 4,500 women per year. Many of these women are diagnosed at Stage 0 or Stage 1, a remarkable shift from previous trends. A second Mobile Mammography Unit will double this impact, allowing the program to reach thousands of additional women annually in areas where routine screenings are too often delayed or inaccessible.
These critical initiatives are being made possible through two major grants:
A $2.3 million federal Community Project Funding grant, secured with support from U.S. Representative Tim Burchett, provided the funding through USDA to purchase and equip the mobile CT unit and develop the associated tracking and diagnostic infrastructure.
A $5.4 million Rural Health Resiliency grant from the State of Tennessee and Tennessee Department of Health is funding the second mobile mammography unit, staffing for both programs, and new investments in smoking cessation and Appalachian health research.
Together, these grants represent a coordinated push to reduce preventable cancer deaths, improve early detection and invest in long-term health equity for rural Tennesseans.
The lung screening mobile unit is expected to launch this fall, while the new breast screening mobile unit will launch in early 2026.
For more information about mobile cancer screenings or to schedule a visit to your community, visit this link for Mobile Mammography, or call Mae King at 865-305-9753—for the mobile lung unit, please call 865-305-LUNG (5864).
