VIDEO: St. Elizabeth Healthcare is offering a cancer screening pilot program to first responders from two Northern Kentucky fire departments. The hospital is providing low-dose CT scans to firefighters to help with early detection of health issues, including lung cancer, coronary artery disease and aneurysms. “It’s peace of mind,” said retired Union Fire Lieutenant Anthony Maher. “When I look forward to my retirement, it’s hopefully a long and healthy one, so this is a huge peace of mind for me going forward and I’m very, very grateful for it.”
Maher is one of several firefighters undergoing screening at St. Elizabeth’s newest CT scanner, which is the only one of its kind in the region. Aaron Gruelle, chief of Union Fire Protection District, said the loss of one of its members was a big motivator for participating in the pilot program.
“We unexpectedly had a line-of-duty death in 2024 from lung cancer,” explained Gruelle. “So, we were all in when they brought this to us, and the goal of this is to prevent what happened to Captain Travis Ransom with Union from happening to anyone else again.”
