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Findlay firefighters say expanded city screening helped catch a cancer earlier
Summary
Members of Findlay Firefighters Local 381 urged council to continue an employer-funded ultrasound screening program after a city employee testified the scan detected a kidney tumor that required surgery; the union letter said the agreement funds 25 screenings per year at an annual city cost of $8,125 and that the program was extended to employees and spouses.
Findlay Firefighters Local 381 asked the city council on March 17 to preserve and support a provision in the union's most recent collective bargaining agreement that added regular ultrasound cancer screening for employees.
A representative read a letter asking the council to note that the bargaining unit successfully negotiated screenings on a rotating three-year cycle, with the city agreeing to fund screening for 25 members per year at a cost of $8,125 annually. The letter said, after selecting United Diagnostic Services, Local 381 negotiated terms to extend the same screening opportunity at the same negotiated cost to all city employees and their spouses.
That extension drew the public testimony of Todd Lee, who said an employer-provided ultrasound discovered a tumor in his right kidney that routine testing had not detected. "My name is Todd Lee. I'm here with my wife, Angie," he told council members. "The only reason I'm standing here tonight is because of ultrasound screening program, which was offered to city employees and their spouses." Lee described surgery on Feb. 18 and a subsequent biopsy that confirmed cancer; he said his diagnosis was stage three and that the screening gave him a path to treatment he believes would not have been possible had the scan been delayed.
The letter and testimony framed the screening as both a public-health investment and a cost-saving measure; the union's letter stated early detection reduces long-term treatment costs and time away from work, and it described the screening expansion as a "proactive investment in employee health." The letter also noted the city-funded portion and the provider the bargaining unit selected.
Council members and the administration praised cooperative labor-management relations. The mayor and administrative staff highlighted the ability to resolve issues without outside counsel and said the city has used collaborative bargaining to protect employees and taxpayers.
The letter requested that council continue to support offering ultrasound cancer screening and services to city employees and spouses. No formal vote was taken on the request at the March 17 meeting; the council accepted the written letter and heard the testimony during the public-communications portion of the agenda. The administration and council members said they would continue conversations with department leadership about sustaining such programs as part of broader personnel and benefits planning.
