In a resounding blow against stubborn population health metrics in South Louisiana, the Rich Mauti Cancer Fund DBA Mauti Cancer Fund on Tuesday presented a $500,000 donation to St. Tammany Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of St. Tammany Health System, for the purchase of a leading-edge mobile lung screening unit for use across the Northshore.
When it comes online in 2025, it is believed the Mauti-funded unit will be the first such vehicle dedicated to lung screenings in the state.
Foundation Executive Director Nicole Suhre said in accepting the donation that this commitment from Rich Mauti and the Mauti Cancer Fund puts them quite literally on the road to better outcomes for those with undiagnosed lung cancer.
The new screening vehicle will be outfitted with an artificial-intelligence-powered CT unit for low-dose lung cancer screening. The AI-powered unit will also offer a multi-organ approach that additionally addresses coronary calcium in the heart, aorta measurements and bone density in the vertebra. It will join the health system’s Be Well Bus, which since 2021 has been bringing breast cancer screenings, skin cancer screenings and other such health assessments directly into the community.
Lung cancer is a cause near and dear to the heart of Rich Mauti, a former professional football player who founded the non-profit Mauti Cancer Fund in 1981 after his father died of lung cancer. Mauti, who lives in Mandeville, has been an active figure in the local fight against cancer ever since.
