University of Tennessee Medical Center
45' Mobile Lung Screening Coach — Serving 21 East Tennessee Counties
Project Overview
USA Mobile Medical built a 45' low-dose CT coach for the University of Tennessee Medical Center — the first mobile lung screening unit of its kind in the region. Funded through a $2.3 million federal Community Project Funding grant provided through the USDA, the program brings advanced cancer screening directly to 21 counties across East Tennessee.
The Need: East Tennessee carries some of the highest lung cancer risk in the country. In counties like Hancock, the adult smoking rate exceeds 30% and lung cancer incidence runs more than triple the national average, while national screening rates remain below 16%. The coach takes screening to where people already are — regional partner sites, community events and grocery store parking lots — paired with smoking cessation resources, patient education and follow-up support.
Built around a care team, not just a scanner: The program is led by Dr. Sean Jordan, UTMC's chief of thoracic surgery and director of lung cancer screening, and staffed with technologists, nurses, patient liaisons and behavioural health professionals so that a scan connects to cessation support and follow-up care. The project took two years to move from funding to implementation (Society of Thoracic Surgeons, September 2026).
Program Specifications
Built to Close a Regional Gap
Counties
Served across East Tennessee from a single coach
Feet
Purpose-built low-dose CT screening coach
Federal Grant
Community Project Funding provided through the USDA
Standard on Every USAMM Build
Project Gallery — 6 Photos
What Made This Program Possible
Federal Community Project Funding
A $2.3 million federal grant provided through the USDA covered the purchase and equipping of the mobile CT unit, removing the capital barrier that stalls most rural screening programs.
First of Its Kind in the Region
No comparable mobile lung screening capability existed in East Tennessee before this coach entered service.
Twenty-One County Reach
One coach extends screening access across 21 counties, reaching communities that would otherwise face long drives to a fixed imaging site.
Screening Plus Support
The program pairs low-dose CT screening with smoking cessation resources, patient education and follow-up navigation, so a scan leads somewhere.
In counties where lung cancer incidence runs triple the national average, the screening has to come to the community.
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