Bayliss is Blue

The “Crossover Fountain” as you exit West Broadway onto Pearl, in Council Bluffs, is shining bright blue during the month of March.  The color will soon fill Bayliss Park, too. This special month-long lighting event is bringing awareness to colorectal cancer.  Patients will see vivid reminders throughout our health centers to talk to their provider about colorectal cancer.  They will be greeted by windows painted by the Thomas Jefferson High School Art Club, word searches will be available in the lobby, and as patients are on their way out, we hope the selfie station will encourage them to share awareness of colorectal cancer with friends on social media. 

All Care is always fighting the fight against colorectal cancer – not just in March.  Patients of All Care, age 45 to 75 are asked to complete a FIT kit annually.  Patients who return their FIT kit receive a $10 gas card incentive.  Hundreds of gas cards are given to patients annually. 

At-home Fecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT) are designed to be simple and non-invasive screening options.  Each FIT uses antibodies to detect blood in the stool.  If blood is detected, the next step may be a colonoscopy.  All Care uses its resources and partnerships to make sure this next step is not out of reach for a single patient.

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths of men and women combined in the United States.  Seem grim?  There are also over 1.5 million colorectal cancer survivors in the United States because screening works.  So, don’t just tell your clients to get screened.  If you are between the ages of 45 and 75, you should, too.