We have been thinking of our colleagues in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and now Las Vegas, and hope this email finds you and your loved ones safe.  Our work goes on, but please know, we are thinking of you.

Today 1:00pm ET 80% by 2018 Progress Webinar
Just a reminder to register for today’s webinar 80% by 2018 Progress, which will feature NCCRT Chair and ACS Chief Cancer Control Officer, Dr. Richard Wender.  The webinar will be held at 1:00pm ET today.  The purpose of the webinar is look at the latest CRC screening measures and discuss what they tell us about our progress and challenges, discuss the urgency needed over the next 15 months and share plans for the transition to the next phase of our colorectal cancer screening work.  This webinar will be open to NCCRT members, ACS staff, 80% by 2018 pledgers, CDC grantees and others interested in the effort.  You must be pre-registered to join the webinar.

NCCRT’s new website is now live!
Starting today, www.nccrt.org has a fresh new look with new features to make it even easier for you to find the tools and resources you need to support your work to increase colorectal cancer screening. New features include interactive maps that allow you to explore the partners that have pledged 80% by 2018 in each state; a new Resource Center, which is a searchable database that will allow you to identify and select evidence-based innovations and tools to help you in your work; and ways to share your signature tools and resources with our community. Watch this video (http://bit.ly/2hJxaGC) to take a guided tour of the new features. We also encourage you to share with your partners! You can adapt this message and retweet/repost the messages we’re sharing on @NCCRTnews and facebook.com/coloncancerroundtable.

A huge thank you to the many NCCRT friends who helped get the site where it is, including Melinda Baker, April Barry, Barry Berger, Heather Dacus, Anjee Davis, Andi Dwyer, Stacey Fedewa, David Greenwald, Heather Hampel, Djenaba Joseph, Elizabeth Mendes, Angela Moore, Lauren Rosenthal, Jennifer Sienko, Michael Sola, Tamar Wallace and especially, Emily Bell!

2017 Task Group Webinars  – Save the Date!
In preparation for this year’s NCCRT meeting we are making a few changes regarding our task group meeting structure for the 2017 Annual meeting (December 6^th, 7th, and 8th, 2017 at the DoubleTree Hilton in Bethesda, MD).  New this year, task group meeting attendees will be required to participate in (or watch a replay of) a short task group webinar. During these webinars the task group co-chairs will recap the work of the task group, in order to ensure that we don’t spend valuable face-to-face meeting time getting the group up to speed. Rather, the intention is that the in-person time can be used to advance key issues and projects. Webinar dates and times are included below (all times are Eastern). While we have held one hour blocks, each session will likely last for 20 to 30 minutes. Please save the date for your task group’s webinar!

• Evaluation and Measurement – Monday, October 23 – 12 to 1 p.m.
• Community Health Centers – Friday, October 27 – 1 to 2 p.m.
• Family History and Early Age Onset CRC – Wednesday, November 1 – 12 to 1 p.m.
• Public Awareness and Social Media – Friday, November 3 – 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
• Professional Education and Practice Implementation – Thursday, November 9 – 1 to 2 p.m.
• Policy Action – TBD

And just a reminder, as was announced previously, at this year’s NCCRT annual meeting, the Task Groups will meet on Wednesday, December 6th from 5:00pm to 6:30pm. We invite and encourage all NCCRT members to join us for these task group sessions, which we know will be lively and productive conversations on how we continue to advance our work. We hope you will be able to join us! Please email [email protected] with questions or for more information.

Newly Revised Clinician’s Reference: Stool-Based Tests For Colorectal Cancer Screening
An updated version of the popular Clinician’s Reference resource on stool-based testing is now available. The resource is designed to introduce (or reintroduce) clinicians to the value of stool-based testing for colorectal cancer. It explains the different types of stool-based tests available—Fecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT), High-Sensitivity Fecal Occult Blood Tests (HS-gFOBT) and FIT-DNA testing—and provides guidance on implementing high quality stool-based screening programs. The resource now includes information on sensitivity and specificity for many of the most commonly used tests.

Special thanks to the following individuals, many from the NCCRT Professional Education and Practice Implementation Task Group, for reviewing past and current versions of this resource and contributing to this work: James Allison, Kim Andrews, Durado Brooks, Gloria Coronado, Debbie Kirkland, Theodore Levin, Dorothy Lane, Laura Makaroff, Marion Nadel, Kerstin Ohlander, Mike Potter, Robert Smith, Emily Bell and Richard Wender. We’d also like to thank the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program National Partners for providing funding support.

NCCRT Request for Proposals:
The NCCRT is pleased to announce a request for proposals to develop a new resource that will improve our understanding of the role that state Medicaid agencies can play in advancing colorectal cancer screening amongst the populations they serve. This project follows previously commissioned work, overseen by the NCCRT Policy Action Task Group, which conducted a state by state assessment of colorectal cancer control activity among Medicaid programs. The report found a wide range of colorectal cancer control activity among Medicaid agencies, ranging from no activity to extensive colorectal cancer activity. The purpose of this current scope of work is to analyze more thoroughly the ten states identified as having extensive colorectal cancer activity, thus unveiling activities other Medicaid agencies should consider for replication in order to advance screening.

Please email Caleb Levell, NCCRT Program Manager, ([email protected]) with your suggestions or with any questions related to the RFP. The deadline to email notification of intent to apply and ask questions is due October 20, 2017. The proposal due date is October 27, 2017. All questions and answers will be posted to this webpage.

CRC Screening Message Goes Viral!
Many of you may recall Dr. Andrew Albert with Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, our 80% by 2018 award winner from earlier this year. This past weekend, Dr. Albert started a social media campaign asking people anywhere/everywhere to put a sign on their backs to help raise awareness and wanted you to know about the campaign as well. Check out his facebook page for posts of individuals sharing their messages.  #backoffcoloncancer  See the coverage he has gotten on CBS Chicago. Congratulations to Dr. Albert for his work raising awareness!  View this video to learn more.

Catch It in Time Video
You may also enjoy this new video, Catch It In Time, featuring NCCRT Steering Committee Member, Dr. Dennis Ahnen. In the video, Dr. Ahnen shares his story of how his colorectal cancer was prevented. Thank you Dr. Ahnen for sharing your story!

Op Ed on Colonoscopy Copay Issue
An American Gastroenterology Association member recently was able to place an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the colonoscopy cost-sharing issue. Congratulations to Dr. Shazia M. Siddique, who is with the division of gastroenterology at Penn Medicine and is a fellow at Penn’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Safety.  Thank you to Kathleen Teixeira for sharing this Op Ed with us!