Partnering to Fight Cancer

In 2005, Guernsey County in rural Ohio had the state's second worst late-stage colon cancer rates for patients. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. In response, a task force was created that included medical staff and administrators from Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center—a 95-bed hospital in Cambridge—hospital associates and community members. The group focused on (1) educating the public— including with a giant, inflatable walk-through colon, (2) educating primary caregivers in the area, (3) providing free and reduced colonoscopies and other screening tests to at-risk individuals and (4) advocating for insurance plans to cover screening. Primary care providers supported the project by informing patients about the benefits of screening and scheduling tests. Since 2004 late-stage diagnoses dropped from nearly 60% to 29%, and the initiative has served 16 Ohio counties. Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center is reaching most national benchmarks—e.g., appropriate use of antibiotics, chemotherapy and radiation therapy—at 100% compliance.

In 2005, Guernsey County in rural Ohio had the state's second worst late-stage colon cancer rates for patients. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. In response, a task force was created that included medical staff and administrators from Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center—a 95-bed hospital in Cambridge—hospital associates and community members. The group focused on (1) educating the public— including with a giant, inflatable walk-through colon, (2) educating primary caregivers in the area, (3) providing free and reduced colonoscopies and other screening tests to at-risk individuals and (4) advocating for insurance plans to cover screening. Primary care providers supported the project by informing patients about the benefits of screening and scheduling tests. Since 2004 late-stage diagnoses dropped from nearly 60% to 29%, and the initiative has served 16 Ohio counties. Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center is reaching most national benchmarks—e.g., appropriate use of antibiotics, chemotherapy and radiation therapy—at 100% compliance.

For more information, contact Michael Sarap, MD, surgeon, at msarap@msn.com.

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