By Emily Young, Public Health Educator, Cancer Services Program
Onondaga County Health Department

 John* has been experiencing colorectal symptoms for a few months yet he hasn’t seen a doctor because he doesn’t have health insurance. He works full-time but his company doesn’t offer health insurance coverage. John is 55-years-old and knows that he should have had a colonoscopy when he turned 50, but he put it off because he couldn’t afford to pay the out-of-pocket cost.

John finally decided to call his primary care doctor for an appointment. His rectal bleeding and abdominal pain was getting worse and his stool was starting to look black in color. When John saw Dr. Smith*, he told her about his symptoms and how long they had been going on. Dr. Smith asked John if he had any family history of colorectal cancer or pre-cancerous polyps. John didn’t know of anyone in his family ever having colorectal cancer. Dr. Smith asked John when his last colonoscopy was. John reluctantly told Dr. Smith that he had never had a colonoscopy because he doesn’t have health insurance. Then Dr. Smith gave John some good news. She told him about the Onondaga County Cancer Services Program (CSP) which could cover the cost of his colorectal cancer screening because he didn’t have health insurance. John couldn’t believe there was a program that could help him get screened and find out what was causing his colorectal symptoms.

Dr. Smith gave John the telephone number. John called and spoke to the program’s Case Manager who quickly got him set up for a colonoscopy at a convenient location. During John’s

Colorectal cancer can be prevented through the removal of pre-cancerous polyps!

colonoscopy, the doctor found and removed five pre-cancerous polyps. The doctor told John he would need to follow up with another colonoscopy in three to five years. John was very thankful to Dr. Smith for telling him about the CSP and was so grateful for the peace of mind knowing that he had help with his colorectal cancer screening when he did not have the financial means to do so himself.

When was the last time you had a colorectal cancer screening? Screening for colorectal cancer is recommended for men and women between the ages of 50 and 75 years old using high-sensitivity fecal occult blood testing, sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy. Colorectal cancer can be prevented through the removal of pre-cancerous polyps in the colon and/or rectum. For men and women without health insurance or those who have other barriers to accessing screenings, the CSP provides free colorectal cancer screening. Uninsured men and women may call 435-3653 to register for their free screening.

For more information on colorectal cancer and free colorectal screenings for uninsured men and women please visit: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/ or http://ongov.net/health/cancerscreening.html.

*Names changed for confidentiality purposes.