The new Lung Health Check mobile unit will bring pulmonary function testing to rural and remote Alberta communities.
A new van equipped to provide lung health testing to rural and remote communities hit the road last week in Alberta.
The Lung Health Check pulmonary function testing van — one of the first in Canada — brings lung testing to the people.
“Alberta is proud to support innovative solutions that bring vital health services directly to communities,” Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange said in a news release. “The Lung Health Check mobile unit is an important step forward in ensuring rural and remote Albertans have equitable access to life-saving respiratory diagnostics and care.”
One in five Albertans live with a lung condition, yet access to critical testing is limited in many rural and remote communities.
The lack of access can contribute to delayed diagnosis and less effective management of lung conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary fibrosis.
People aged five years and over can access testing with a referral from a primary care provider, at no cost.
Pulmonary function tests are a set of breathing tests that measure how well the lungs move air and deliver oxygen to the blood.
The van is equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and will be staffed by a nurse and respiratory therapist.
The Lung Health Check mobile unit is coordinated by Praxus Health and Aceso Medical with funding by AstraZeneca Canada and the government of Alberta.
The program was launched as a two-year pilot project to document patient outcomes and experiences and guide the long-term development of the program.
The mobile service is expected to complete about 1,000 pulmonary function tests each year
More information is at www.lungcheck.ca.
