As early morning traffic flowed by and the wind picked up, staff from the Moncrief Cancer Institute gathered outside the Tarrant County Administration Building to unveil the center’s new 36-foot mobile screening clinic.
The bus, which is the institute’s second mobile clinic, allows the center to grow its Tarrant County screening efforts for breast cancer and prostate cancer. In two years, Moncrief has screened nearly 10,000 residents for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate cancer, said Dr. Keith Argenbright, director of Moncrief Cancer Institute.
“It gives us additional capacity, and this second mobile unit will allow us to reach more people, more geographies,” he said.
The $1 million mobile clinic is ADA-accessible and equipped with a 3D mammography machine and prostate-specific antigen blood tests. Patients also will be able to connect with cancer experts via telemedicine.
The clinic was funded by Tarrant County through a three-year, $9 million grant awarded to Moncrief Cancer Institute in 2022. The grant is part of the federal funding received through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Mammograms at the mobile clinic are free for uninsured women ages 40 to 74. It must be at least one year since a woman’s previous mammogram. Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among women in Texas. In 2022, over 19,900 Texas women were diagnosed with breast cancer and an estimated 3,415 died from it.
Prostate cancer screenings, which are administered through a blood test, are free for uninsured men ages 40 to 69. Out of 100 men, about 13 will get prostate cancer in their lifetime and about 2 to 3 will die from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s when and where eligible residents can receive free screenings throughout March and April in Tarrant County. People can request appointments by calling 817-288-9970 or online at moncrief.com/screening.
Argenbright hopes more people continue to screen for cancer and put their health first.
“We’ve heard from patients how much they appreciate having the mobile unit come into their community, and we feel that we really do bring a state-of-the-art screening process,” he said. “We’re extremely grateful that the commissioners have chosen to invest in something that will extend beyond.”
David Moreno is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports on X.
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