AS I SEE IT
Observe National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Spread the word to raise awareness BY ANN SARIEGO AND LORI TRZCINSKI
Annie Sariego
Lori Trzcinski
In February 2000, Presi- dent Bill Clin- ton offi cial ly dedi cated the month of March as Nat ional
Co lo rectal Cancer Awareness Month. Since then, it has grown to be a true rallying point for the colon cancer community. Every year, thousands of patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates throughout the commu- nity join together to spread colon cancer awareness by wearing blue, holding fundraising and educational events, and talking to friends and family about screening. March presents two important opportunities for everyone in the busi- ness of health care to (1) provide infor- mation to our communities regard- ing colon cancer and (2) promote awareness of our roles with regard to colorectal cancer screening, preven- tion and treatment.
What can you do to observe Colon
Cancer Awareness Month? Talk About It
Encourage people in your community to talk about the risks of colon cancer and discuss the importance of getting screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50.
Send out newsletters or postcards to those in your area. Place flyers in areas that will attract attention: doc- tors’ offices, local hospitals, grocery stores, banks, community centers, health clubs, etc. Be active in commu- nity groups; join a Chamber of Com- merce or disease awareness group where you can promote the message of awareness. Send out press releases to the local media or place ads in various publications that will hit your target audience. Use local television, radio,
newspapers, community calendars and even your own website or blog to pro- mote awareness. Each year, more and more celeb- rities—from Katie Couric and Ter- rance Howard to Morgan Freeman and Meryl Streep—are coming forward to advocate for colon cancer aware- ness. They are spreading the mes- sage: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the US, but it is largely preventable. Encourage the use of colorectal cancer screen- ing conversation starters and distribute questions to ask your doctor—talking points between a patient and his or her physician that might help to ease the patient’s fears of not knowing what to ask or where to begin. Questions such as: What screening test(s) do you rec- ommend for me? How do I prepare? What is involved in the test? Is there any risk involved?
Distribute Colon Cancer Awareness Materials Various organizations supporting colon cancer awareness have free materials available for use. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) has numerous materials available free of charge at
www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/resources/ features/colorectalawareness/ as part of its CDC’s Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action campaign. Resources include print materials— fact sheets, brochures and posters— and television and radio public service announcements.
The National Colorectal Can- cer Roundtable (NCCRT) developed the Blue Star/March Marketing Kit for use by its members to help promote National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and the Blue Star, the universal symbol for colon cancer awareness. The
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