Welcome to this special edition of CRC News, the American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (ACS NCCRT) periodic newsletter for ACS NCCRT members and partners working toward our shared goal to reach 80% in Every Community. This email highlights National Health Center Week, a campaign from the National Association of Community Health Centers, which touches many of our members’ work.  

Newest Health Center Program Uniform Data System (UDS) Data Released  

Over 3.3 Million Adults 45–75 Years of Age Screened in 2023 

This week, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released the 2023 UDS (Uniform Data System) data for national Health Center Program awardees (federally qualified health centers). HRSA reported an overall colorectal cancer screening rate of 41.1% in 2023, which represents a decrease from the 2022 rate of 42.8%. However, the denominator increased in 2023 as FQHCs began reporting data for adults 45–75 years of age for the first time, up from the previous reporting for adults 50–75 years of age. Notably, the total number of patients screened for CRC reached 3,306,873 in 2023, up from 2,769,337 in 2022. 

The ACS NCCRT would like to congratulate our partners at HRSA and the National Association for Community Health Centers (NACHC) for championing efforts to increase CRC screening among their grantee and member health centers partners. And most of all, we’d like to share a huge round of applause for the clinicians and staff 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. Visit the HRSA website to learn more about the UDS measure and to find the UDS screening rate for health centers in your state. Visit ACS NCCRT’s Data & Progress webpage to learn about our progress with other national measures. 

2024 National Achievement Honoree Blog: Family Health Services 

Learn About How a Rural FQHC Increased CRC Screening Rates 

Since 2015, Family Health Services of South-Central Idaho has been working to increase their CRC screening rate from six percent to over 55% in 2024. This FQHC has worked through adaptive, innovative, and evidence-based quality improvement to reach their predominantly rural population, and it earned them a spot as an honoree for our 2024 80% in Every Community National Achievement Awards. To celebrate their successes and this year’s National Health Center Week, read more about their accomplishments in our newly published interview about their work.  

Celebrate National Health Center Week by Utilizing Resources to Increase CRC Screening 

Multiple ACS NCCRT Resources Address Increasing CRC in the Health Center Setting 

The ACS NCCRT Resource Center hosts a wide range of resources and blogs, including those that address working in or with health centers specifically.  

• ACS NCCRT Messaging and Communications Hub, which includes general messaging for the unscreened, lead time messaging, and guidebooks and briefs to reach special populations 
• Steps for Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates: A Manual for Primary Care Practices 
• Mailed FIT Implementation Guide 
• Colonoscopy Needs Calculator, to help assess need and referral load to partners 
• Clinician’s Reference: Stool-Based Tests for Colorectal Cancer Screening, designed to introduce (or reintroduce) clinicians to the value of stool-based testing for colorectal cancer (keep an eye out for an update to this resource coming later this year) 
• Success story blogs like one from Esperanza Health Center in Chicago, IL 

VOICES of Black Women Study Continues to Recruit Participants 

Learn How You Can Support This Groundbreaking Study 

The American Cancer Society (ACS) need your help to change the future of cancer as we know it. Support our goal of reaching 100,000 Black women for VOICES of Black Women, a pivotal long-term study led by the ACS. This groundbreaking initiative will help us better understand health conditions like cancer to learn how to improve overall health and well-being among Black women. ACS is looking to mobilize local partners, like health centers and systems, to share the study with their networks. If you are interested in learning more about how you or your organization can support VOICES, please reach out to [email protected] for additional information. 

Happy National Health Center Week and many thanks for the great work you do!

The ACS NCCRT Team

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