March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
How You Can Get Involved
March 1, 2017 – Every March brings Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which serves as an excellent reminder for ACG members to spread the message of the lifesaving benefits of colorectal cancer screening through active participation in education and public awareness efforts in your local communities.
In keeping with its longstanding commitment to colorectal cancer prevention, the College offers a variety of educational tools and resources to support your efforts. For inspiration, tips and ways to get involved, visit the ACG Colorectal Cancer Community Education Toolkit. There are a number of ACG posters, flyers and infographics you can incorporate into your education and outreach.
80% by 2018
More than 1,000 groups, including the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Cancer Society (ACS), have pledged to work together to increase the nation’s colorectal cancer screening rates and embrace the goal of reaching 80% screened for colorectal cancer by 2018. According to ACS, if the United States can achieve 80% by 2018, 277,000 cases and 203,000 colorectal cancer deaths would be prevented by 2030.*
To learn more about the shared national goal of 80% by 2018, read this blog by Mark B. Pochapin, MD, FACG, who ably represented GI at the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT). You can also explore NCCRT’s Guidebook, “What can Gastroenterologists and Endoscopists Do to Advance 80% by 2018?”
Governors and PR Committee Leadership on 80% by 2018
I want to recognize the leadership of the ACG Board of Governors and ACG Public Relations Committee who jointly are participating in a national radio media tour on colorectal cancer prevention in March. On the air, they will address the challenges for our nation to reach 80% of eligible U.S. adults screened for colorectal cancer by 2018.
Young Onset Colorectal Cancer in the News
Yesterday’s New York Times ran a story, “Colon and Rectal Cancer Rising in Young People,” featuring research from the American Cancer Society published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute revealing that even as the overall incidence of colorectal cancer in the United States has been declining, CRC incidence in patients younger than 50 is on the rise in the past two decades. The article featured ACG’s recommendation about screening for African Americans starting at age 45.
Quick Access to ACG’s Latest Colorectal Cancer Resources
Visit ACG’s patient-oriented Colorectal Cancer Awareness page to access the best of the College’s CRC resources including a fact sheet, videos, and podcasts. Featuring a wealth of information and multimedia tools for you and your patients, the CRC page is also a great place for you to direct the media as a source for background information. Visit www.gi.org/coloncancer.
Show Solidarity: March 3, 2017 is Dress in Blue Day
ACG applauds the Colon Cancer Alliance for its work to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and the importance of screening by inviting people to wear blue on national “Dress in Blue Day.” Individuals, businesses and community groups are all encouraged to participate on Friday March 3, 2017.
Send your photos of Dress in Blue Day festivities at your GI clinic to mediaonly[at]gi.org and we will share with your ACG colleagues.
Get Active on Social Media
The College encourages members to leverage their social networks to support the College’s colorectal cancer prevention awareness efforts by using Twitter and by and sharing links via Facebook or other social media channels. To make it easier to share key CRC education materials online, A ACG offers “Must Have ACG Colorectal Cancer Resources with Shareable Links.” This is a quick primer on the very best of ACG’s CRC resources with short, shareable URLs to add to your websites, patient e-newsletters, and share via Facebook and Twitter.
To learn more about social media, here’s ACG’s “Social Media 101 Flyer” with tips to get started. Follow ACG at @AmCollegeGastro
Share Ideas and Get Inspiration from Your Colleagues in the GI Circle
Visit GI Circle where you can share ideas, get inspired and collaborate with your colleagues. We also encourage you to share your continued success, exchange ideas for CRC Awareness activities and engage with your colleagues in the GI Circle Colorectal Cancer Awareness discussion area.
Your Efforts Can Make a Difference, Save Lives, and Win a SCOPY
Introduced in 2015, the ACG SCOPY: Service Award for Colorectal Cancer Outreach, Prevention & Year-Round Excellence has generated a tremendous outpouring of creativity and enthusiasm from ACG members working in their GI practices and their communities to raise awareness of colorectal cancer prevention. This award is a great opportunity for ACG members to showcase their best efforts in raising awareness in their communities. The deadline is May 31st and you can learn more about SCOPY and be inspired here.
Thanks, Carol
* Meester RG, et al. Public health impact of achieving 80% colorectal cancer screening rates in the United States by 2018. Cancer. 2015 Jul 1;121(13):2281-5. doi: 10.1002/cncr.29336. Epub 2015 Mar 12.