The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on September 8th that Utah and 25 other states and tribal organizations will soon be able to provide colorectal cancer screenings to the uninsured and underinsured aged 50 to 64 years old through a $22 million dollar grant. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death for men and women over the age of 50.
Five year grant disbursements in amounts between $358,283 and $1.1 million will be handed out to Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the Arctic Slope Native Association, the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency, and the Southcentral Foundation.
The money can be spent on screening and diagnostic follow–up care, data collection and tracking, public education and outreach, provider education, and an evaluation to measure the clinical outcomes, costs, and effectiveness of the program. The screening options available to those receiving the grants include colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy and stool testing.
