The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently awarded more than $3.5 million to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to lead a five-year statewide effort to improve the rate of colorectal cancer screening in the state.
Arkansas ranks fifth nationally for overall cancer mortality and sixth nationally for colorectal cancer mortality, making colorectal cancer screening a major public health concern statewide.
The grant will enable physicians and researchers at UAMS who focus on primary care health outcomes to establish and enhance partnerships with other entities in Arkansas who also have an interest in improving the screening rate, for the purpose of adopting integrated practices based on the best available science.
Called Promoting Resource and Outreach to Enhance Colorectal Testing for Arkansas (PROTECT-AR), the UAMS-led effort will include data monitoring and continuous quality improvements. Its goal is to enhance completion rates of all colorectal cancer screening regardless of which approved screening method is used.
“We are collaborating with several groups within UAMS, including the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, to implement new workflows for cancer screening navigation and follow-up, as well as the Institute for Community Health Innovation for evaluation and readiness activities,” said Stephen Foster, MD, the principal investigator and a member of the Cancer Institute’s Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences research program.
“While the primary focus of this project is to improve colorectal cancer screening rates and follow-up within the UAMS Regional Campuses, the initiative will expand to include several Baptist Health clinics,” he added.