March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a time designed to increase public knowledge on the importance of screenings, early detection, and prevention. Throughout the month of March, McDonough District Hospital is providing free colorectal screening kits, informs Vice President of Business Strategy Patrick Osterman:
“Colorectal cancer is one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States. It used to be starting that screening at 50, now they are saying 45, especially if you have a family history, go even sooner than that. Colorectal kits that we are handing out, you can pick them up at the Convenience Clinic, our drive-thru, the family clinic, the Bushnell Family Practice, and it is free, that’s the best part of this screening. You just follow the instructions. You can either drop it off, you can mail it back, and you will get your results. If there was to be a positive pickup on one of the screenings, it is going to get forwarded onto our GI clinic and our group of providers will follow up.”
According to the American Cancer Society, over 158,000 new cases of colorectal cancer between males and females will be diagnosed in 2026.
