MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The University of Virginia has announced a partnership with the Community Health Center of the New River Valley intended to improve the rate of cancer screening in rural southwestern Virginia.
As part of the program, 950 fecal immunochemical test kits are going to be mailed to patients who have been identified by the health center as being not up to date on colorectal cancer screenings, with the help of around $600,000 from the Jeffress Trust.
The patients will receive reminders to return their test kits and, if the results come back positive, they will get assistance when scheduling a colonoscopy.
According to a release announcing the program, 67% of Americans are up-to-date on colorectal cancer screenings — but only 53.5% of the Community Health Center of the New River Valley’s patients are up to date. The program aims to increase the rate to 80%.
“Along with boosting screening rates, we hope to increase patient follow-through for screening colonoscopies if the test determines the procedure is needed. We are doing this through robust patient communication conducted by a cancer screening navigator and nurse care coordinators who are trained in strategies to educate both patients and families,” said Michelle Brauns, MS, APR, chief executive officer of Community Health Center of the New River Valley. “In addition, we are exploring how we can eliminate [cancer] screening disparities among racial and ethnic groups in our patient population, as cancer screening rates are well documented to be lower in our rural, Appalachia region.”
The Community Health Center of the New River Valley provides care for patients in rural southwestern Virginia regardless of their ability to pay. More information about the health center can be found on its website.
