Western North Carolina Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative Awarded $20K Grant from Colon Cancer Coalition
Asheville, NC – The Western Carolina Medical Society (WCMS) is proud to announce that the Western North Carolina Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative (WNC-CRCSI) has received a $20,000 grant from the Colon Cancer Coalition. This grant will support the ongoing expansion of the program. The WNC-CRCSI offers essential colorectal cancer screening to average-risk, uninsured individuals across eleven counties in Western North Carolina, with plans to expand in 2024 and 2025.
“This funding enables the WNC-CRCSI program to continue to screen at-risk patients for colorectal cancer,” said WCMS Executive Director Karen Wallace-Meigs. “We know that colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in North Carolina, but is highly treatable if caught early. This program does an incredible job of providing vital educational resources, screening, colonoscopies, and treatment programs – if needed. We are thrilled to see this work continue throughout WNC” added Wallace-Meigs.
About the WNC Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative
The WNC Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative (WNC CRCSI) is a non-profit organization with the mission of improving colorectal screening awareness, education and access in western North Carolina. The program currently provides vital CRC screening to average-risk, uninsured, low-income patients between the ages of 45 and 75 in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey, Transylvania, Rutherford, Polk, Haywood and Jackson Counties. The WNC-CRCSI collaborates with Digestive Health Partners (a gastroenterology practice in Asheville and Hendersonville) along with local federally qualified community health centers, WCMS’s Project Access, and independent primary care offices. The program was founded by local physician, Dr. Michael Newcomer, who remains the medical director of the program. Started in 2015, the WNC CRCSI became a nonprofit 501(c)(3) in 2019, housed within WCMS.
About the Colon Cancer Coalition
The Colon Cancer Coalition is a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis, Minn. dedicated to encouraging screening and raising awareness of colorectal cancer. The organization’s signature Get Your Rear in Gear® and Tour de Tush® event series are volunteer-driven in communities throughout the United States. Money raised at these events are granted back into local communities to help will build and sustain programs and research encouraging early prevention, screening, and patient support for this disease. By making the words colon, colorectal and colonoscopy a part of the everyday language, we believe we can overcome the fear and decrease deaths from this largely preventable cancer. For more information visit ColonCancerCoalition.org.
About The Western Carolina Medical Society
The Western Carolina Medical Society’s mission is to advocate for healthy communities, increase access to affordable healthcare, fight health inequities, and promote wellness in WNC. Since 1885, WCMS has been respected for its leadership and innovation in addressing issues of access to affordable health care, disparities in health, and wellness promotion. Throughout its history, WCMS has been at the forefront of working collaboratively with area organizations to address the health challenges facing our community’s residents.
For more information about the Western Carolina Medical Society, contact Niki Duff, Director of Development & Communications at niki@mywcms.org.
