Colon Cancer Awareness Month 03.01.2011
For Immediate Release:
Please contact: Terry Krohn, Director
Two Rivers Public Health Department
701 4th Avenue, Suite 1
Holdrege, NE 68949
308-995-4778 or 1-888-669-7154
March 1, 2011
March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month
Two Rivers Public Health Department would like you to know that Friday, March 4th is “Dress in Blue Day” to promote awareness about colon cancer and encourage people to get their colon checked. Nebraska ranks 6th in the nation for the highest death rate due to colon cancer and 910 Nebraskans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year.
Colon cancer is 90% curable if it’s found early. 60% of deaths from colon cancer could be prevented if men and women 50 and older were screened regularly. In the Two Rivers District only 26% of residents have had a blood stool test screening in the last two years and less than 50 % have ever had a colonoscopy to check for colon cancer.
If you are 50 years or older, these are things YOU can do so that you do not become one of these statistics:
· Have a Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) yearly to detect blood in the stool from polyps.
· Have a colonoscopy every 10 years to look for polyps.
· Have polyps removed to prevent cancer from starting or spreading.
Further steps to prevent colorectal cancer are easily included in any lifestyle:
· Eat a diet containing fruits, vegetables and fiber.
· Move your body! Get active!
· If you smoke, find help and quit!
The following hospitals within the Two Rivers Public Health District will be providing Fecal
Occult Blood Tests FREE of charge to residents interested in participating in this
screening during the month of March:
Cozad Community Hospital
Franklin County Memorial Hospital
Good Samaritan Hospital
Gothenburg Memorial Hospital
Kearney County Health Services
Phelps Memorial Health Center
For more information call your hospital or Two Rivers Public Health Department at
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