Hello from the State Capitol,
According to the American Cancer Society, excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States.
This is why I’m sponsoring legislation that would allow more people to be screened. People are squeamish not only about talking about colon cancer but especially in taking the test. This is killing people, and it’s time to do something about it.
The American Cancer Society also notes colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States when men and women are combined.
My bill would provide money to expand the Links of Care program. The Links of Care pilots seek to improve colorectal cancer screening and follow up care for uninsured and underinsured patients by strengthening relationships between community health centers and the surrounding medical neighborhood.
The bill would dedicate $250,000 over the next two years in grants to fully qualified health centers to replicate this model.
We have reliable testing available for a deadly cancer. The goal is to make this testing less scary and get more people in to be screened.
Also at the Capitol this week, I was pleased to meet with several people from the St. Cloud area, including a group who traveled to St. Paul to participate in “Catholics Day at the Capitol.”
Have a good weekend,
Tama