The Health Wagon, in conjunction with Dr. Joe Smiddy, Pulmonologist, offers the first free Lung Cancer Early Detection Program in Southwest Virginia.  Dr. Joe Smiddy secured a mobile unit to provide free chest x-rays, arterial blood gas tests, and pulmonary function testing for the Health Wagon.  Dr. Joe, as he is known, literally went the extra mile and enrolled in truck driving school to learn the skill of driving tandem trucks to be able to maneuver the unit around the mountainous roads of Southwestern Virginia.  Medical exams as well as medication and education on smoking cessation are also routinely given.

According to The American Cancer Society, lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the United States.  In the U.S. alone, an estimated 160,000 lives are lost each year to lung cancer -- more than colon, breast, and prostate cancer combined.  Additional risk factors for major lung disease include coal mining, asbestos exposure, and prevalence of histoplasmosis.  Lung Cancer Early Detection Clinics are planned periodically throughout the region.