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A collaboration for women’s health involving The Health Wagon, Liger Medical, and UVA Health aims to dramatically reduce cervical cancer deaths among women in Southwest Virginia through innovative technology and mobile care. This initiative is made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Rural Health Care grant (Award No. AWD-004542) and UVA Health’s Center for Telehealth.

The Appalachian Women’s Digital Cervical Cancer Prevention Initiative advances the nation’s Rural Cervical Cancer Prevention Network, pairing digital colposcopy technology with The Health Wagon’s extensive mobile and clinic-based health infrastructure. The initiative targets women in Lee, Wise, Scott, Buchanan, and Dickenson Counties and the City of Norton, where cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates far exceed national averages due to limited access to specialists, geographic isolation, and barriers to follow-up care.

Despite being one of the most preventable cancers, cervical cancer continues to disproportionately affect women in rural Appalachia. This initiative directly addresses those inequities by expanding access to early detection, accelerating diagnoses, and improving care coordination for underserved women.

“This initiative represents a transformational moment for women’s health in Appalachia in terms of its mobility and access,” said Teresa Tyson, DNP, President and CEO of The Health Wagon. “In the past, we had to use very heavy equipment that was difficult to deploy on mobile units. Now we will have smaller, highly portable, state-of-the-art technology that allows us to combine mobile outreach with advanced digital imaging and decision-making — helping us detect disease earlier, reduce delays in care, and ultimately save lives.”

The initiative supports deployment of EVA® digital colposcopy systems across all Health Wagon mobile units and stationary clinics, high-volume community screening events, telecolposcopy services, and nurse practitioner-led patient navigation to ensure timely follow-up and treatment.

Liger Medical provides high-resolution digital imaging, clinical decision support, and telemedicine capabilities that allow real-time consultation with gynecologic specialists at UVA Health — addressing one of the most critical gaps in rural health care.

“Digital colposcopy and triage allow clinicians to make faster, more accurate decisions, even in the most remote settings,” said Dr. Dean Wallace, CEO of Liger Medical. “Partnering with The Health Wagon enables this technology to reach women who might otherwise never receive screening.”

The initiative is expected to increase cervical cancer screening and colposcopy completion rates by 50–75%, reduce diagnostic timelines to less than 30 days, and improve follow-up compliance through nurse navigation and virtual consultations. In addition to improving patient outcomes, the program will generate robust data to inform national best practices and peer-reviewed research.

“This collaboration highlights how technology, when paired with trusted community-based care, can close long-standing gaps in women’s health,” said Karen Rheuban, MD, Director of UVA Health’s Center for Telehealth. “We are excited to be part of this effort to enhance care for women across Southwest Virginia.”

Honoring its core values of giving back, The Health Wagon plans to donate heavier, previously used examination equipment to a clinic in Belize, where the organization also participates in international mission work.

“Women in all areas of the world deserve access to quality care, early detection, and resources that allow them to live their healthiest lives — regardless of geography or circumstance,” said Paula Hill Collins, DNP, who leads The Health Wagon’s mission team efforts.

The Health Wagon continues to seek philanthropic support to advance women’s health equity in Central Appalachia and is currently serving women in need of care — particularly those who have received an abnormal Pap test and require follow-up services.