The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently reported 2016 Uniform Data System (UDS) data shows significant gains in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in the nation’s federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), also called community health centers.

The UDS CRC screening rate reached 39.9% in 2016, which amounts to a more than five percentage point jump since the launch of the 80% by 2018 campaign in 2014. Furthermore, 28 health centers reached the 80% goal in 2016, up from 19 in 2015.

Health centers served nearly 26 million patients in 2016, many of which are at or below the federal poverty level and come from underserved communities that experience lower CRC screening rates. Because of this, health centers have tremendous potential to improve CRC screening rates and to reduce CRC morbidity and mortality in racially and ethnically diverse, socioeconomically challenged communities across the country.

The NCCRT would like to congratulate our partners at HRSA and the National Association for Community Health Centers (NACHC) for championing 80% by 2018 among their grantee and member health centers partners. And most of all, we’d like to share a huge round of applause for the staff and providers at health centers for their persistence and innovation in working day in and day out to provide eligible patients with the opportunity to screen for this largely preventable disease.

Read more about the incredible work happening in health centers and NCCRT and the American Cancer Society’s work to support their efforts in a post from Dr. Rich Wender, NCCRT chair, on the NACHC blog and a post from Drs. Durado Brooks and Jim Hotz, NCCRT Community Health Center Task Group co-chairs, on the NCCRT blog.

Visit the HRSA website to learn more about the UDS measure and to find the UDS screening rate for health centers in your state.