Author
ACHI Staff
In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson devotes his latest column for the Healthcare Journal of Arkansas to a discussion of the disease, its prevalence in Arkansas, disparities in its impact, and barriers to screening which is now recommended beginning at age 45 for people at average risk.
“Unfortunately, screening for colorectal cancer remains low compared to screening for breast and cervical cancers,” Thompson writes. “Barriers to screening include patient fear, lack of appropriate insurance coverage, absence of a primary source of health care, failure of providers to provide screening recommendations, lack of transportation, language barriers, and lack of information about available resources or recommendations. These barriers may be prevalent in populations that traditionally lack socioeconomic and educational resources, such as low-income communities and communities of color.”
More information about colorectal cancer is available on our website, including an infographic and a report we co-authored with the national nonprofit Fight Colorectal Cancer. You can also read more on the topic in ACHI Health Policy Director Craig Wilson’s recent guest column for Talk Business & Politics.
