November 9, 2015

John T. Mather Memorial Hospital invites area veterans to have a free lung cancer assessment and learn about the potential benefits of low dose CT screening for the early detection of lung cancer.

If you are a veteran between the ages of 55-80 and have smoked or are still smoking, you can get more information by calling Eileen Zaoutis, RN, Nurse Navigator for Mather’s Lung Cancer Screening Program, at (631) 686-2500.

Veterans, and in particular Vietnam veterans, are at higher risk for lung cancer than civilian populations because of higher smoking rates and exposure to known carcinogens during active duty.

While lung cancer may take decades to develop, symptoms do not usually become obvious until the cancer has already grown into late stage when survival is less than 15 percent. Screening those at high risk with low dose CT scans before symptoms occur can identify lung cancer at an early and most curable stage. Individual risk for lung cancer will vary and screening may involve some potential harms.

Veterans have a right to know all the facts and get all the information they need to make a decision. Mather’s free Lung Cancer Screening Program will facilitate a discussion on risk and if qualified provide the necessary steps to obtain a low dose CT to screen for the disease. We encourage any and all veterans who feel they could be at high risk to contact us for more information.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death nationally. It takes the lives of more Americans than breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancers combined. Today, there is scientific validation that screening those at high risk with low-dose CT scans can save tens of thousands of lives a year.

John T. Mather Memorial Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community teaching hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion and respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones. Mather has earned the prestigious Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), which recognizes healthcare organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Mather also has received eight consecutive top "A" ratings from The Leapfrog Group for patient safety, the only New York State hospital to achieve that distinction and one of only 133 hospitals nationwide to receive an A score in each of the twice yearly rating periods.