Sandra Stinnett, MD, hopes to collaborate with the Communication Van for head and neck cancer screenings. But a few things need to happen first, including lining up some funding for necessary expenses.
Dr. Stinnett, Director of the UPMC Swallow Disorders Center, and Catherine V. Palmer, PhD, Director of UPMC Audiology, are in the process of figuring out what the collaboration will look like. A major hurdle is health literacy. Phase 1 would likely involve going out into the community to create awareness and establish rapport. The goal is to launch head and neck cancer screenings on the Van by April 2026.
In the interim, Dr. Stinnett is working with Marci Lee Nilsen, PhD, MSN, RN, CHPN, FAAN, Director of the UPMC Head & Neck Cancer Survivorship Clinic, to figure out how to navigate these patients because once they are screened, they need care. The hope is to get a patient navigator as well as some health partners to be able to provide these services to the community, including rural areas.
In addition to personnel, equipment like portable laryngoscopes is needed. Three screens for $3000 total and 10 disposable one-time use cameras for each site will amount to an additional $6000.
This will allow Dr. Stinnett and her colleagues to “screen on the Van while we’re on the go and get patients plugged into our facilities down the line to get the care they need.”