The following email news update was shared with NCCRT members and partners on Tuesday, February 27th, 2018. Sign up to subscribe to our regular email updates. 

This week marks the start of March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and we have lots of news to share.

Congratulations To The 2018 80% By 2018 National Achievement Award Winners!

The NCCRT has recognized seven organizations with the 2018 80% by 2018 National Achievement Award, a prestigious national honor recognizing leadership in the ongoing effort to increase colorectal cancer screening rates across the United States. This year’s recipients include Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, Oklahoma City, OK, as the grand prize winner; and other honorees include AltaMed Health Services, Los Angeles, CA; Ameren, St. Louis, MO; Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, Columbus, OH; Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; Samuel C. Pace, M.D., Tupelo, MS; and the Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln, Lincoln, NE. We are honored to recognize these extraordinary awardees for their dedication and efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening.

Learn more about these organizations’ exemplary work to increase colorectal cancer screening: http://nccrt.org/2018-80-2018-national-achievement-awards/

View and share the joint American Cancer Society/NCCRT press release: http://pressroom.cancer.org/80x2018awards

New 80% by 2018 Blog:  Joining in the CRC Screening Coast to Coast Effort

We have a new 80% by 2018 blog posted that’s a call to action for watching and supporting our Colorectal Cancer Screening Coast to Coast efforts!  Please give it a read, and share with your partners.  We need everyone’s help promoting the March 8^th show, touting your own March activity (and getting it added to the Coast to Coast map, created by our friends at Fight CRC), and spreading the word about how to make the most out of this March.  This blog tells you exactly how to participate.

If you or your colleagues would like to share the blog on social media, you are welcome to use our shortened URL (http://ow.ly/WL2dI) and/or to retweet/repost the messages we are sharing through @NCCRTnews and facebook.com/coloncancerroundtable.

Save the Date – 2018 NCCRT Annual Meeting, Nov. 14^th – Nov. 16^th, 2018 in Baltimore, MD

NCCRT Members: Mark your calendars – the 2018 NCCRT Annual Meeting will start with pre-conference activity, including late afternoon Task Group meetings, on Wednesday, Nov. 14^th and close the afternoon of Friday, November 16^th.  Also note – we’re moving!  The meeting will be held in Baltimore, MD this year.  Thanks to those of you who have already asked about meeting sponsorship opportunities, which are now open.  Visit this link for more information.

Replay NCCRT Webinar on Increasing CRC Screening Among the Underserved Now Available

In case you missed it, the replay of the Feb. 20th, webinar, Increasing CRC Screening Among the Underserved, can be found here: http://nccrt.org/resource/innovative-ways-increase-colorectal-cancer-screening-among-underserved-february-20-2018/  Slides are also available at the link.  Many thanks to our fantastic speakers, Drs. Joe Ravenell, Karen Kim and Jenna Hatcher!

NCCRT Request for Proposals to Develop a Links of Care Training:

As was previously announced, the NCCRT has issued a request for proposals to develop a web based training that draws from the best practices and lessons learned from the NCCRT’s Links of Care model. The Links of Care pilots, launched in 2014, sought to strengthen the relationships between community health centers and the medical neighborhood in the delivery of colorectal cancer screening and follow up care. Our goal is to provide local communities with online access to the framework, advice, and tools and templates needed to develop a strong collaboration between health centers and specialty providers in order to improve the delivery of colorectal cancer screening and follow up care for patients in need. The deadline for proposals is April 6th, 2018. 

Please email Emily Bell, NCCRT Associate Director, ([email protected]) with any questions related to the RFP. We also welcome your suggestions for potential vendors. Email notification of intent to apply and questions regarding the proposal are due March 23rd, 2018. All questions and answers will be posted to this webpage: http://nccrt.org/rfp-loc

Fill out a “Stat Madness” Bracket to Recognize 2017 Groundbreaking Research on Early Onset CRC:

Many of you will recall the groundbreaking research study led by NCCRT friend and American Cancer Society researcher, Rebecca Siegel, last year, which found that compared to people born around 1950, people born around 1990 have twice the risk of getting colon cancer, and four times the risk of getting rectal cancer.  You can vote for this research in the bracket-style competition Stat Madness, a celebration of science that highlights significant research in biomedical science from the past year.  Help us bring more attention to this important research by voting for this ACS study, currently pitted against Yale University in the first round (sorry Dr. Llor!).  The first round bracket is up and can be filled out here.

Dress in Blue Day is this Friday, March 2^nd, 2018

Dress in Blue Day is Friday, March 2, 2018.  Our friends at the Colorectal Cancer Alliance have asked that we spread the word that by wearing blue on Friday, you and your peers become part of a nation of passionate allies, taking on this senseless killer.  You can also enter their photo contest with your bluest swag and any pets, props, beads and more to snap the perfect shot!  Grand Prize: The photo with the most votes at the end of the month won a free inflatable colon rental, to arrive at the event/location of your choosing within the continental United States.  The Colorectal Cancer Alliance also has updated free materials for download on family history, colonoscopy prep, symptom tracking, etc. in English and Spanish, accessed via this link.  Please contact Patrice Brown at [email protected] with any questions.

ICYMI: Beyond 2018 FAQs and Changes to the 80% by 2018 Pledge

Wondering what happens after 80% by 2018? Read the “Beyond 2018 FAQs” to learn how NCCRT is charting the course for our work to increase colorectal screening beyond 2018, including how the 80% by 2018 pledge has recently been changed to the 80% Pledge to reflect our intention to continue our efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening to 80% or higher across the nation beyond 2018.

Have You Hit 80%?

It’s been rewarding to see the reports of partners who have hit their 80% goal in 2018 start to trickle in.  If you are one of them – be sure to submit your achievement to the 80% by 2018 Hall of Fame for recognition.

Have a great March, everyone!  Many thanks for the good work you do.