KentuckyOne Health Brings Awareness to Colon Cancer in March - Archived

 

Louisville, Ky. (March 4, 2013)-- Jewish Hospital Rudd Heart and Lung Center, part of KentuckyOne Health, will glow blue throughout the month of March in honor of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colon cancer is leading cause of cancer death among non-smoking men and women in the United States.

 

“When found early, colon cancer can be treated effectively,” said Whitney Jones, M.D., gastroenterologist with Midwest Gastroenterology Associates, chairman, Kentucky Cancer Foundation and founder, Colon Cancer Prevention Project. “Regular screening is the key to reducing the incidence of this cancer both in Kentucky and across the country.”

 

In 2013, Kentucky ranked fourth in the nation for colon cancer deaths. Despite this number, when detected early, the colon cancer five-year survival rate is over 90 percent.

 

KentuckyOne Health locations across the region will celebrate Wear Blue Day on Friday, March 7, 2014. Facilities that will feature informational tables and giveaways include Jewish Hospital, Medical Center Jewish East, Medical Center Jewish Northeast, Medical Center Jewish South, Medical Center Jewish Southwest, Our Lady of Peace, Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, Jewish Hospital Shelbyville, Flaget Memorial Hospital (Bardstown) and James Graham Brown Cancer Center.

 

On Wear Blue Day, Madeline Abramson, wife of Lieutenant Governor Jerry Abramson, will make an appearance at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, part of KentuckyOne Health to help raise awareness and emphasize the importance of colon cancer screenings.  Abramson is active with the Kentucky Cancer Program working to reduce the incidence of cancer throughout the Commonwealth. Basketball great Darrell Griffith, whose mother is an 8-year colon cancer survivor, will also attend the event. He will be available at noon for a meet-and-greet and autograph opportunity.

 

In addition to its efforts throughout March, KentuckyOne Health supports the Colon Cancer Prevention Project, a collaborative effort between the state of Kentucky and healthcare providers that works to raise awareness and increase preventative screenings. Since the project was formed in 2004, Kentucky has gone from 49th of all 50 states for colon cancer screening to 32nd. Kentucky's incidence rate of colon cancer has dipped 16 percent. KentuckyOne Health provides funding for Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program that enables low-income, uninsured residents to get screenings.

 

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health was formed when two major Kentucky health care organizations came together in early 2012. KentuckyOne Health combines the Jewish and Catholic heritages of the two former systems – Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System. In late 2012, the organization formed a partnership with the University of Louisville Hospital | James Graham Brown Cancer Center.  The nonprofit system is committed to improving the health of Kentuckians by integrating medical research, education, technology and health care services wherever patients receive care. KentuckyOne Health has more than 200 locations including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies across the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is the largest health system in Kentucky.

 

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