March 23, 2026
The University of Kansas Cancer Center and its outreach network, the Masonic Cancer Alliance, announced a new effort to provide cancer screening throughout the cancer center’s catchment area. Known as HOPE on Wheels: Health Outreach, Prevention and Education, a 42-foot bus will help ensure that geography isn’t a barrier to detecting cancers earlier.
“This mobile medical unit is more than a cancer screening clinic on wheels. As its name says, it’s hope on wheels, delivering access and the power of early detection across Kansas and western Missouri,” said Roy Jensen, MD, vice chancellor and director of the cancer center. “It helps ensure that no matter where someone lives, they have the chance to catch cancer early. We’re incredibly grateful to the Kansas Masonic Foundation and the Cinelli Family Foundation for making this vehicle a reality.”
The arrival of the bus was announced on Open Mics, a show produced and livestreamed by The University of Kansas Health System.
The bus will increase the capacity of the Masonic Cancer Alliance to host free screening events throughout the cancer center’s catchment area and simultaneously provide educational materials related to the cancer center’s priority outreach and research areas. The bus includes a mammogram room, exam space, a screening and dressing area, a medical refrigerator, a bathroom and a phlebotomy station.
“For rural communities, a mobile cancer screening vehicle brings care closer to home,” said Ronald Chen, MD, MPH, director of community outreach and engagement at KU Cancer Center. “It cuts down long drives, removes barriers, eases the burden on families and makes early detection possible. It’s a practical, meaningful step toward healthier communities.”
Using the bus, the Masonic Cancer Alliance will offer skin cancer screenings, prostate cancer screenings, breast cancer screenings, take-home colorectal cancer screening kits and tobacco cessation education throughout all of Kansas and 18 counties in western Missouri. The University of Kansas Health System is providing fellowship-trained oncologists for mammography services. Funding for the bus and its operation has come from the Kansas Masonic Foundation and the Cinelli Family Foundation.
“Cancer has impacted countless families across Kansas, and access to early detection can make all the difference,” said Robert A. Shively, executive director of the Kansas Masonic Foundation. “In the more than two decades that KU Medical Center teams have conducted free cancer screenings around the state, Kansas Masons have been there to fund this important service. Kansas Masons are proud to help expand access to these lifesaving screenings and play a meaningful role in improving outcomes for neighbors across the state.”
“The Cinelli Family Foundation is truly privileged to collaborate with The University of Kansas Cancer Center and the Masonic Cancer Alliance in delivering this mobile cancer screening van to communities across our beloved state of Kansas,” said Eric Ryan and Janet Cinelli, co-executive directors of the Cinelli Family Foundation.
Additional details, such as information about what communities the bus will visit and how to obtain screenings, can be found at the Masonic Cancer Alliance website.