March 1, 2024 – Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) recently received grant funding from Exact Sciences, a leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, to improve colorectal cancer screening rates and make healthcare more accessible throughout the North Country region.
The Exact Sciences grant will promote colorectal cancer screenings among marginalized elderly, low-income, and disabled populations throughout New York’s rural Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties by supporting the region’s primary care practices in identifying and outreaching eligible patients and promoting awareness of colorectal cancer screening through a multimedia campaign.
The grant was made possible through Exact Sciences’ Funding Opportunities for Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake Strategies (FOCUS) Program, which provides funding to community organizations, health foundations, public health organizations, and advocacy groups working to increase access to colorectal cancer screening. Exact Sciences developed Cologuard®, the first and only FDA-approved, noninvasive, multi-target, stool-based DNA screening test that people can use at home.
"Exact Sciences is honored to support organizations that are working to expand access and availability of screening options for often-overlooked communities,” said Paul Limburg, Chief Medical Officer, Screening, at Exact Sciences. “Although colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers,2 more than 50,000 people die from this disease each year in the U.S. alone.1
“FDRHPO is grateful to have received this grant,” said Erika Flint, executive director of FDRHPO. “The most marginalized patient populations often go unscreened for colorectal cancer,1 so we’re thrilled that this grant can help us reduce barriers and improve screening rates within our community.”
Ms. Flint continued, “This grant is one of several initiatives that FDRHPO and its partner, North Country Initiative (NCI), have designed and implemented in concert with dozens of clinical, behavioral, and social care partners in the region to support preventive and primary care, the prevention and management of chronic disease, and behavioral health and substance use prevention and management.”
In addition to the colorectal cancer screening grant, FDRHPO and NCI collaborate with partners to impact regional rates of breast cancer screening and cervical cancer screening; diabetes hemoglobin A1c testing, A1c poor control, and eye exams; statin therapy for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease; high blood pressure; childhood, adolescent, and adult immunizations; prenatal and postpartum care; annual wellness visits for children and adults; screening for future fall risk; tobacco use screening and cessation; hospital admissions, readmissions, and emergency department visits; HIV viral load suppression; depression remission; screening for depression and follow-up plans; and antidepressant medication management. Examples of collaborative regional initiatives to impact these measures include:
· A separately-funded project to promote breast cancer screening through the use of mobile mammography equipment in community “hotspot” locations;
· Financial and technical support to primary care and behavioral care partners to provide transitional and chronic care management services to Medicaid-insured populations, for whom such services are not otherwise available. Recent analysis indicated that transitional care management services for Medicaid-insured patients in the region are linked to a 40% reduction in 90-day post-discharge healthcare costs, 14% lower inpatient readmission rates, and a 36% increase in documentation of social care needs;
· Regional media campaigns, such as “Call Us First” which encourages people to contact their primary care team for minor acute needs, and “Healthy Habits” which encourages people to re-engage in primary and preventive care, notably annual wellness visits, recommended screenings, dental/oral care, and immunizations;
· Adoption of a standardized screening tool that clinical and behavioral providers use to identify social needs among those they serve, document identified needs and make ‘closed loop’ referrals to relevant services;
· A qualitative and quantitative research project to uncover perspectives and trends about accessing and experiencing primary care among elderly, low-income, and/or disabled regional residents, with recommended action steps for primary care, behavioral care, and health insurance providers;
· Provision of trainings (such as “Bridges to Health & Healthcare,” Mental Health First Aid, health literacy, cultural competency, and others) to clinical, behavioral, and social care staff to improve understanding of, relationships with, and strategies to impact their diverse patient populations;
· Implementation of multiple value-based payment arrangements, whereby groups of clinical and behavioral partners collaboratively seek to steward the healthcare costs and improve quality measure compliance among more than 26,000 patients in the region; and
· Financial awards to 15 clinical, behavioral, and social care organizations since 2021 to pilot or conduct “promising practice” interventions impacting Medicaid-insured and other populations in the region, including projects to reduce fall risk among elderly or disabled individuals; increase management of high blood pressure and diabetes; use telemedicine and remote patient monitoring to treat behavioral and substance use needs and better manage patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and pneumonia; deploy community health workers to connect people to clinical and social resources; and promote transitional and chronic care management, childhood immunizations, and well-child visits.
“Since its inception in 2005, FDRHPO has developed broad and deep relationships with regional partners across the healthcare continuum,” shared Ms. Flint. “Our mission to strengthen the system for health for everyone in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties supports our role as a neutral convener to identify data-driven priorities and leverage resources to address those priorities. The robust portfolio of work with partners – inclusive of the recently-awarded colorectal cancer screening grant from Exact Sciences – to improve quality measure rates demonstrates this commitment.”
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