Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) is nearing the successful completion of an 18-month grant from Exact Sciences, a leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, to improve colorectal cancer screening rates and make healthcare more accessible throughout the North Country region.
The grant promoted colorectal cancer screenings among marginalized elderly, low-income, and disabled populations throughout New York’s rural Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties by supporting the region’s primary care practices in identifying and outreaching eligible patients and promoting awareness of colorectal cancer screening through a multimedia campaign.
The grant was made possible through Exact Sciences’ Funding Opportunities for Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake Strategies (FOCUS) Program, which provides funding to community organizations, health foundations, public health organizations, and advocacy groups working to increase access to colorectal cancer screening. Exact Sciences developed Cologuard®, the first and only FDA-approved, noninvasive, multi-target, stool-based DNA screening test that people can use at home.
“Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, yet approximately 60 million average-risk Americans remain unscreened1,” said Paul Limburg, Chief Medical Officer of screening, at Exact Sciences. “Awareness and access are critical to increasing screening participation, and Exact Sciences is honored to support these organizations that are driving screening uptake and addressing inequities within their communities.”
FDRHPO utilized data provided by Medicare and Managed Medicaid insurers to identify patients in the region who were due for colorectal cancer screening and worked with eleven primary care partners to outreach patients and track screening completion. Through its Communications Committee, FDRHPO also collaborated with other primary healthcare, inpatient, behavioral healthcare, and social care providers in the region to develop a marketing campaign. The campaign included messaging that screening generally starts at age 45; both men and women need to be screened; when caught early enough, roughly 90% of those diagnosed will successfully treat it; and that individuals should talk to their healthcare provider to determine which screening option is best for them.
The primary project goal was to complete 1,250 colorectal cancer screenings among the target population; at the time of writing, FDRHPO and its partners have exceeded the goal, having completed nearly 1,500 screenings thus far. Further, the media campaigns were successful, with over one million impressions and more than 1,200 ‘engagements’ (often, when an individual clicks on the digital graphic for more information). FDRHPO houses a collection of educational graphics about colorectal cancer screening on its website at https://www.fdrhpo.org/colocancerresources; providers and the general public are invited to utilize and share these at no cost.
“FDRHPO is grateful to have received this grant,” said Erika Flint, executive director of FDRHPO. “The most marginalized patient populations often go unscreened for colorectal cancer,1 so we’re thrilled that this grant helped us improve education and access to screening within our community, ultimately saving lives.”
“Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer worldwide, but most colorectal cancers arise from precancerous polyps in the colon,” said Dr. Christopher Kellogg, provider at Watertown Internists. “Early detection is key and therefore routine screening can prevent colorectal cancer by detecting and removing premalignant polyps before they progress. Talk to your provider about colorectal screening options.”
Ms. Flint added, “This grant is one of several initiatives that FDRHPO and its partner, North Country Initiative (NCI), have designed and implemented in concert with dozens of clinical, behavioral, and social care partners in the region to support preventive and primary care, the prevention and management of chronic disease, and behavioral healthcare and substance use prevention and management.”
In addition to the colorectal cancer screening grant, FDRHPO and NCI collaborate with partners to impact a host of regional health behaviors and outcomes. Examples of collaborative regional initiatives include:
· A separately funded project to promote breast cancer screening through the use of mobile mammography equipment in community “hotspot” locations;
· A three-year initiative to place community health workers in primary care practices to promote a range of preventive and chronic care among North Country patients;
· Financial and technical support to primary care and behavioral care partners to provide transitional and chronic care management services to Medicaid-insured populations, for whom such services are not otherwise available. Recent analysis indicated that transitional care management services for Medicaid-insured patients in the region are linked to a 40% reduction in 90-day post-discharge healthcare costs, 14% lower inpatient readmission rates, and a 36% increase in documentation of social care needs;
· Regional media campaigns, such as “Call Us First” which encourages people to contact their primary care team for minor acute needs, and “Healthy Habits” which encourages people to re-engage in primary and preventive care, notably annual wellness visits, recommended screenings, dental/oral care, and immunizations;
· Adoption of a standardized screening tool that clinical and behavioral providers use to identify social needs among those they serve, document identified needs and make ‘closed loop’ referrals to relevant services;
· A qualitative and quantitative research project to uncover perspectives and trends about accessing and experiencing primary care among elderly, low-income, and/or disabled regional residents, with recommended action steps for primary care, behavioral healthcare, and health insurance providers;
· Provision of trainings to clinical, behavioral, and social care staff to improve understanding of, relationships with, and strategies to impact their patient populations;
· Implementation of multiple value-based payment arrangements, whereby groups of clinical and behavioral partners collaboratively seek to steward the healthcare costs and improve quality measure compliance among more than 26,000 patients in the region; and
· Financial awards to more than a dozen clinical, behavioral, and social care organizations since 2021 to pilot or conduct “promising practice” interventions, including projects to reduce fall risk among elderly or disabled individuals; increase management of high blood pressure and diabetes; use telemedicine and remote patient monitoring to treat behavioral and substance use needs and better manage patients with chronic conditions; deploy community health workers to connect people to clinical and social resources; and promote transitional and chronic care management, childhood immunizations, and well-child visits.
“Since its inception in 2005, FDRHPO has developed broad and deep relationships with regional partners across the healthcare continuum,” shared Ms. Flint. “Our mission to strengthen the system for health for everyone in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties supports our role as a neutral convener to identify data-driven priorities and leverage resources to address those priorities. The robust portfolio of work with partners – inclusive of the colorectal cancer screening grant from Exact Sciences – to improve quality measure rates demonstrates this commitment.”
About the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization
FDRHPO works to strengthen the system for health for the integrated Fort Drum and civilian community through analysis, identification of needs and leveraging of resources to fill gaps through innovation and collaboration. For more about FDRHPO, visit www.fdrhpo.org.
About the North Country InitiativeThe North Country Initiative (NCI) is a partnership of hospitals, independent physicians and community providers working together to reform the healthcare system in across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties. Together, these partners carry out strategies to coordinate leadership, align incentives, create clinical programs, and develop technical infrastructure. The outcome of these changes will improve the health of the community, reduce the cost of healthcare, and improve the care for patients. For more information about NCI, visit www.northcountryinitiative.org.
About Exact Sciences Corp.
A leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, Exact Sciences gives patients and healthcare professionals the clarity needed to take life-changing action earlier. Building on the success of the Cologuard® and Oncotype® tests, Exact Sciences is investing in its pipeline to develop innovative solutions for use before, during, and after a cancer diagnosis. For more information, visit ExactSciences.com, follow Exact Sciences on X (formerly known as Twitter) @ExactSciences, or find Exact Sciences on LinkedIn and Facebook.
NOTE: Exact Sciences and Cologuard are trademarks or registered trademarks of Exact Sciences Corporation. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
About the FOCUS Program
Launched in June 2022, Exact Sciences’ Funding Opportunities for CRC Screening Uptake Strategies (FOCUS) Program provides grant funding to community organizations, health foundations, public health organizations, and CRC advocacy groups to expand access to colorectal cancer screening and create affordable pathways to follow-up diagnostic care. FOCUS reflects Exact Sciences’ ongoing commitment to meet people where they are and offer solutions to overcome barriers to care, regardless of a patient’s race, ethnicity, gender identity, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. Submissions are reviewed via Exact Sciences’ corporate grants process, which is fully independent from sales and marketing activities. Funding decisions are based solely on the strength of the application and alignment with FOCUS Program objectives, without regard to any actual or potential commercial relationships with potential grantees. Learn more about the FOCUS Program.
References:
1. Ebner DW, Kisiel JB, Fendrick AM, et al. Estimated Average-Risk Colorectal Cancer Screening-Eligible Population in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(3):e245537
2. American Cancer Society. Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2023-2025. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2023.
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