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AUGUSTA, Ga ()- This week the Georgia Cancer Center is partnering with Kroger to bring health screenings to Washington Road during the Masters Tournament.
Kroger’s “Team Tune Up” is a mobile health unit that normally sets up at NASCAR races. They offer things like free vaccines and nutritional counseling.
This week the Georgia Cancer Center will join them to offer free lung cancer screenings.
“We just want to be present to where the people can come to us for their services. There’s always updates on immunizations that are needed. There’s always new information about lung care and health,” said Kroger pharmacist, Shannon Scarborough.
Augusta ranks last in Georgia in health outcomes and access. With lung cancer being so prevalent in the state, doctors hope the “Team Tune Up” mobile could save the lives of the people who take advantage of it.
“In the state of Georgia, Every 2 hours, someone in this state dies of lung cancer. And majority of those are in rural areas. So that’s why we want to bring this attention to Augusta,” explained Dr. Dan Miller, a lung cancer surgical oncologist at GCC.
Along with those health services, people can win free items and even walk through an inflatable set of lungs to learn more about lung cancer. And if you come down and check it out, you might get a chance to sit in a real NASCAR race car.
One first year medical student from MCG spent part of his spring break volunteering for the program.
“We’ve been so focused on our lectures and everything. This gives me a really good opportunity to remember what I’m coming to medical school for. Interacting with people, helping them get better. Connecting with the community,” Jack Gersten said.
Dr. Miller said that the Georgia Cancer Center and MCG are working on their own mobile unit for health screenings and they expect to have it running by September.
If you missed the event on Tuesday and Wednesday, you still have one more chance to take advantage of the “Team Tune Up” mobile unit. They’ll be at Kroger on Washington Road from 1 p.m to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 10.