Did you Get your Colon Screened?

As we near the close of Colorectal Cancer Screening Awareness month, I'd like to take a moment to celebrate our Regional Cancer Screening Consultant, Anita Joshua.  Anita stepped outside of her comfort zone as the Senior Consultant of our Regional Proactive Panel Management program and took over the responsibilities of leading the Cancer Screening initiatives in late 2010.  Over the last year she has immersed herself in this additional role, attempting to learn as much as possible about breast, cervical, and colon cancers.  She has gone on a few site visits to observe successful practices, visited the regional Laboratory to say "thank you" to all of our lab staff who are processing those important results, and holds regular meetings with the local leads over each initiative. 

For Colon Cancer awareness month Anita arranged for videos to be played outside our cafeteria entrance at the Regional Office, had signs hung inside our building as well as above the parking structure, and even set up shop every Thursday from 2-4 pm inside our Employee Wellness Center reviewing care gaps with interested employees/members.  As Anita described it "there was a LOT of talk about POOP!"

Those two hours she spent each Thursday resulted in 32 people coming in to see if they were due for a screening, 6 of which WERE due and received a FIT kit (after a demonstration by Anita on how to complete the screening).  That is 32 people more aware of when they personally need to be screened/rescreened and 6 potential lives that could be saved.  Way to go Anita!!!