The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute will help people with little or no health insurance to receive colon, breast and cervical cancer screenings.
The cancer institute will work one on one with people who are not current on their cancer screenings to help them through the screening process, said Laura Toole, director of community and patient services at NRCI. Staff also will help to arrange for resources, including transportation and child care, for people who qualify.
"We know if people are compliant and get screenings on a regular basis, they reduce the risk of dying of cancer," Ms. Toole said. "We're trying to make it easier for people who may not have access to get the screenings done."
Through the Patient Navigation Program, the cancer institute has a goal of providing 500 to 670 cancer screenings. The program is funded through national, regional and foundation support.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show colon, breast and cervical cancers account for about 20 percent of all cancer deaths nationwide. A recent NRCI report on cancer-related deaths in Northeast Pennsylvania from 2005-2009 shows 945 colon and rectal cancer deaths, 618 breast cancer deaths and 55 cervical cancer deaths.
People who qualify for the program must not already have cancer symptoms. People targeted for the program are men and women age 50 and older for colon cancer screening; women 21 and older for cervical cancer screening; and women 40 and older for breast cancer screening.
For more information, contact Jane Oswalt at NRCI at 800-424-6724 or jane.oswalt@scranton.edu.
Contact the writer: rward@timesshamrock.com, @rwardTT on Twitter