Louisiana Colorectal Health Project - The Louisiana Cancer Prevention and Control Programs initiative, Screen Up, will leverage partnerships to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in health systems in areas with high incidence and mortality and late-stage diagnosis rates to prevent and minimize suffering and death from colorectal cancer in Louisiana. The level of suffering and death from CRC in Louisiana is among the worst in the nation. CRC is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the state, with incidence rates often exceeding the national average. Screen Up is a current CRCCP grantee and will continue to assist health systems in implementing sustainable, evidence-based interventions that improve clinics' ability to conduct, monitor, and sustain systematic cancer screening efforts. Our target population for CRC screening is those who are impacted by colorectal cancer incidence and death, such as those residing in rural parishes, where limited healthcare infrastructure poses challenges to accessing preventive care; the Acadian community, which has been shown to experience elevated CRC rates due to potential genetic predispositions; individuals aged 45–49, aligning with updated screening guidelines to promote early detection; those who have never been screened, particularly those with lower incomes or are underinsured and other priority groups who face significantly higher CRC incidence and mortality rates. Screen Up facilitates access to CRC screening by recruiting Federally Qualified Health Centers and rural health clinics in hotspot areas for late cancer diagnosis, which are invariably overlaid by regions with high numbers of under-screened individuals. Screen Up will use several supporting strategies such as practice facilitation, patient navigation, clinic grants, and professional education to implement evidence-based interventions to increase screening rates. In addition, Screen Up will engage additional partners to support the implementation of EBIs in clinic partners and the completion of stool-based tests and follow-up colonoscopies. These partners include the American Cancer Society, Exact Sciences, Louisiana Primary Care Association, Louisiana Rural Health Association, Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans, Louisiana Department of Health, University Medical Center New Orleans, and the Taking Aim at Cancer Louisiana. The primary project outcome is increasing the CRC screening rates at clinical partners per their annual site-specific goals. By the end of the five-year funding cycle, Screen Up expects all clinics to implement all five EBIs. We will conduct an annual evaluation using high-quality data to monitor the program activities, assess effectiveness, and identify successes and areas for improvement for the next program year.
