Free screenings for colorectal cancer available

St. Francois County Health Department seeks qualified participants

By DONNA HICKMAN
Daily Journal Staff Writer

Free screenings for colorectal cancer are available to those who qualify through the Missouri Screen for Life program. The St. Francois County Health Center is working to help match those who qualify with the services provided.

"The Health Center's role in this program is to identify eligible participants and assist them in completing the application form," said Debbie Hoehn, Assistant Director. "If the individual is eligible we will then forward the application to St. Louis ConnectCare. The project coordinator will then contact the individual to schedule the free colonoscopy."

The colonoscopies will be done either at ConnectCare in St. Louis or at Barnes Jewish Hospital Siteman Cancer Center. Free transportation is also available for the individual. For more information, call the Health Center at 573-431-1947  and press extension 112 and ask for Mandy Harris or extension 131 for Kathy Cole.

Residents of St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Washington, Jefferson and six other counties in the St. Louis area are eligible for the program. They must be at least 50 years old or 10 years earlier than the age of the youngest affected relative diagnosed with colorectal cancer, whichever is earliest.

Men and women who are uninsured or underinsured and make less than $20,800 per year for a single person are eligible. Income guidelines go up by $7,200 depending upon the size of the household. Married persons who make $28,000 would be eligible for the screenings, a three-person household could make only $35,200 and a four-person household, could make only $42,400.

If colorectal cancer is found through the screenings, Siteman Cancer Center will provide treatment at no cost to the client so long as the eligibility criteria are met.

If a person has no symptoms and are age 50-64, they can be eligible for a free colonoscopy provided at ConnectCare or Siteman Cancer Center, if they meet the other eligibility requirements. To find out more, contact St. Louis ConnectCare  at 314-879-6392.

Colorectal cancer was the second leading cause of cancer deaths from 1990-2003 in Missouri when this project was being designed. During 1996-2000, more than a third of the number of new colorectal cancer cases were from the St. Louis Metro Region. Colon cancer often has no symptoms. The only way to check the health of your colon is to get screened. The chance of a cure is very high when colon cancer is found early.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 112,340 new cases of colon cancer and about 52,000 colon cancer deaths will occur in America this year.

Donna Hickman is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact her at 431-2010, ext. 138 or at dhickman@dailyjournalonline.com.

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