Huntsman Cancer Institute to launch mobile care unit to serve rural Utah

SALT LAKE CITY —  For many cancer patients in rural Utah, getting treatment can mean hours on the road — sometimes forcing people to delay or even skip care.

Huntsman Cancer Institute said about 30% of its patients drive 150 miles or more just to get treatment. Now, providers are working to bring that care closer to home.

“We have a lot of patients who will say, ‘I do feel like I’m sick, but I can’t make it in,’” said Dr. Theresa Werner, a medical oncologist and deputy director at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Chad Cowdell, a cancer survivor from Helper who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023, knows that challenge firsthand.

“The miles I traveled for just the radiation treatment — I could’ve driven coast to coast three times,” he said.

To help close that gap, Huntsman Cancer Institute is introducing a new mobile cancer care unit designed to bring services directly to underserved communities.

“This is really your doctor’s office and your infusion room locally, in your backyard and in your neighborhood,” Werner said.

The unit will offer services like exams, infusions and injections, all in a space designed to function like a small clinic on wheels.

“It will combine the ability to have treatment, like chemotherapy, as well as to take care of the side effects that often occur,” said Kathi Mooney, a professor at the University of Utah College of Nursing and a senior investigator at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Cowdell said the impact could be significant.

"There are people in rural communities, particularly in my area, that sometimes may choose to miss their treatments because of travel and resources," he said. “If we could get a vehicle in our community that would provide those services, what a blessing that’d be, not only for me but for those that also need it."

The official Huntsman Cancer Institute unit — complete with the institute's logo — is expected to launch this fall.

It will serve Carbon, Grand and Emery counties – with plans for two more units and eventual statewide expansion. The program is funded through a grant from the ARPA-H PARADIGM program.

Related: Huntsman Cancer Institute introduces first Angio-CT in the Mountain West

  This story was adapted from a TV broadcast script using artificial intelligence. Every story, including those adapted with AI, is reviewed by a human editor before publication to ensure that KSL's editorial standards are upheld.

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