Contributed PART OF PROGRAM — The imaging team at WVU Medicine Harrison Community Hospital is part of the medical team working with the WVU Cancer Institute Lung Cancer Screening Program.

CADIZ — WVU Medicine Barnesville Hospital and WVU Medicine Harrison Community Hospital are now certified members of the WVU Cancer Institute Lung Cancer Screening Program.

WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital joined the Lung Cancer Screening Program in November 2021. In May, Harrison Community Hospital and Barnesville Hospital received certification from the American College of Radiology to utilize their low-dose CT scanners as part of the program, which will help alleviate patient wait times and provide a more convenient location for patients living closer to Barnesville and Cadiz.

“Barnesville and Harrison will be a site of service to the Wheeling program. All abnormal screenings will be followed up by Dr. Robert Herron, thoracic surgeon at Wheeling Hospital, and the program will initiate and coordinate all referrals and updates with the patient’s care team,” said Marquis Demniak, advanced practice provider with the program.

The top risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. The West Virginia Cancer Registry and Health Statistics Center reports that in the U.S., cigarette smoking is linked to between 80 percent and 90 percent of lung cancers. Other risk factors include secondhand smoke; radon; other substances (including asbestos, arsenic, diesel exhaust, and some forms of silica and chromium); personal or family history of lung cancer; radiation therapy to the chest; and possibly diet.

“We are very excited to add this much-needed service at Barnesville Hospital and Harrison Community Hospital,” said Karen Mihalic, director of imaging, said. “Providing closer access to our community as a screening site under the program, which allows us to work closely with Wheeling Hospital, will hopefully encourage those at risk to get scheduled.”

The program accepts self-referrals and referrals made by a primary care provider.

Patients seeking a self-referral can fill out a simple form online that will then trigger a consultation with a nurse practitioner, either in clinic or through telemedicine.

Information about eligibility and the online consultation form can be found at WVUMedicine.org/LungCancerScreening.