Screen for Life Coach Launches New “Hub Model” for 2026 Travel Season
Published Monday, March 16, 2026
The Screen for Life Coach has released its 2026 travel schedule with a new regional hub model designed to keep cancer screening accessible for communities across Northwestern Ontario. Operating from four hub locations between April and October 2026 will allow the Coach to continue providing uninterrupted screening services despite ongoing mechanical issues.
The Screen for Life Coach (Coach) is a mobile cancer screening bus that delivers breast, cervical, and colon cancer screening services in one convenient place.
“The current Coach is nearing the end of its lifespan after supporting cancer screening in Northwestern Ontario for 13 years,” says David McConnell, Director of the North West Regional Cancer Program at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. “We understand the critical role the Coach plays in making screening accessible in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities where services may be limited. By adopting a temporary hub model as we wait for our new mobile screening bus, we're able to bring screening services closer to home for communities in the region.”
The Coach will be screening in the following communities during the 2026 travel season:
- Marathon (Wilson Memorial General Hospital), April 24 – May 24, 2026
• Geraldton (Northern Horizon Health Centre), May 29 – June 15, 2026
• Thunder Bay (location to be determined), June 27 – July 31, 2026
• Dryden (Dryden Regional Health Centre), August 8 – October 5, 2026
Patients due for screening in the surrounding communities are encouraged to travel to the Coach for their appointment. Travel grants are available for those travelling 100 kilometers or more to access screening services on the Coach.
Booking is now open for the Screen for Life Coach's 2026 travel season. To book an appointment for breast, cervical, or colon cancer screening on the Coach in any of the hub communities, call (807) 684-7777. For more information about the Coach, including answers to frequently asked questions about this travel season, visit tbrhsc.net/screenforlife
Jasmin Fisher, Cancer Promotions & Communications Planner