Free colon cancer screening for at-risk residents scheduled for Saturday
Mar 17, 2005
Hollister - Hazel Hawkins Hospital and Pacific Health Alliance will soon be offering free, non-invasive colon cancer screenings to at-risk San Benito County residents with the lofty goal of making this the world's first colon cancer-free community.
Anyone considered at-risk for colon cancer will be eligible for the free screenings, according to Hazel Hawkins Spokeswoman Frankie Valent. At-risk individuals include anyone over the age of 50 and anyone with a history of colon cancer in his or her family.
"It's very important to stress that even if people aren't insured, there are grants that are going to take care of all the funding," said Hollister City Councilman Doug Emerson.
Pacific Health Alliance will be covering the cost of screenings for any at-risk members of the 10,000 people in the county it insures. For those who do not have insurance or are not covered by Pacific Health Alliance, nonprofit organizations Strides for Life and the Michael A. Gard Foundation have each pledged up to $50,000 to make sure no one is turned away.
"The head of Pacific Health thought it would be a great pilot project because of the size of San Benito County and the number of people they insure here," said Valent, explaining the company's CEO has been very involved in colon cancer awareness since his son died of the disease in his early 30s.
Each year, 147,500 new cases of colon cancer are diagnosed in the United States, resulting in 57,100 deaths, making the disease the second most-deadly form of cancer. Statistically, in San Benito County alone, Valent said, more than 50 cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed this year, resulting in seven deaths. However, she added, the cancer is highly treatable if it's caught in its early stages, which is why it's so important for people to take advantage of the free screening.
Hazel Hawkins will be holding a health fair on Sat. March 19 from 11am-2pm where the at-risk community can gather information and see demonstrations of how the new, non-invasive screening the hospital will be using works.
The non-invasive testing process, only several years old, was developed by biotech company Exact Sciences Inc. It tests for certain DNA in patients' stool, a method that medical journals say is proving just as accurate as the traditional, often more intimidating colonoscopy, which uses a video camera to examine 8 to 10 feet of the colon.
Patients can get the testing materials from a physician who diagnoses them as at-risk, and can then perform the non-invasive screening in their own home and arrange for free pick-up.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jquandt@freelancenews.com.
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