O’FALLON, IL— March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital want people to understand how important it is to not delay preventive screenings which could detect colon cancer in its earliest stages.
Providers at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Radiation Oncology Center will hold a Colorectal Cancer Awareness drive-through event to giveaway free at-home colon cancer test kits. The event will be Saturday, March 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Cancer Care Center of O’Fallon, located at 321 Regency Park, O’Fallon.
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The InSure ONE at-home screening test includes full instructions for an easy, water-based sampling for specimen collection. Patients MUST return the sample to the Cancer Care Center of O’Fallon between March 21-25. St. Elizabeth’s laboratory will analyze, and results will be reviewed by a physician to then be provided to each participant and their primary care provider. The kits are available while supplies last.
Eligible recipients of the test include anyone age 45 or older or a person with a first-degree relative who had a colon cancer diagnosis. People picking up the free kits can remain in their vehicles and are asked to wear masks. Staff will be masked appropriately during the distribution and will bring kits and information to the vehicle.
Colorectal cancer is cancer of the colon or rectum and, excluding skin cancers, it is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society.
“Most of the colorectal cancer patients do not have a family history and may not have symptoms. This is why it is important to get screened when you are eligible,” said St. Elizabeth's Radiation Oncology Center Medical Director Camille Williams, MD. “If caught early, colorectal cancer can be successfully treated, so it is important not to delay preventive screenings.”
This screening does not take the place of a colonoscopy.
If you have already been screened, talk to your friends and family who are over 45 years of age about getting screened. Together, we can help to eliminate colorectal cancer as a major public health problem.
Routine health screenings and procedures such as this continue to be highly important, especially after the past years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Early detection of health issues is key, and St. Elizabeth’s care team urges people to not forgo seeking health care services.
For more information regarding this Colorectal Cancer Awareness event, contact Christy Koenigstein, patient navigator, at 618-607-5545. For more information about the Cancer Care Center of O’Fallon, visit hshs.org/StElizabeths/Services/Cancer-Care.
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high-quality Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our physician practices and 15 local hospitals in two states – Illinois (Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, O’Fallon, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.
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