MADISON,
Wis., Dec. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Exact
Sciences, a leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic
tests, announced today that it awarded $1.3
million to 23 organizations through its Funding
Opportunities for CRC Screening Uptake Strategies (FOCUS) Program.
Grant recipients are committed to improving colorectal cancer (CRC)
screening rates and making healthcare more accessible, with a focus
on medically underserved populations.
CRC remains the second-leading cause of cancer death in
the United States.1 The
disease is more treatable if caught in early stages,1
yet an estimated 60 million average-risk adults remain unscreened
in the United
States.2,3*
The most marginalized patient populations often go unscreened
for CRC, which is one reason the disease disproportionately affects
certain socioeconomic groups, races, and regions in the United States.3 Half of
premature CRC deaths are related to racial, ethnic, socioeconomic
and geographic inequalities.4
"Exact Sciences is honored to support organizations that are
working to expand access and availability of screening options for
often-overlooked communities," said Paul
Limburg, Chief Medical Officer, Screening, at Exact
Sciences. "Although colorectal cancer is one of the most
preventable cancers,5 more than 50,000 people die from
this disease each year in the U.S. alone.3 We want to
change that."
Exact Sciences' FOCUS Program provides grant funding to
community organizations, health foundations, public health
organizations, and advocacy groups working to increase access to
CRC screening. Exact Sciences announced an additional group of 2023
grantees earlier in the year. Since its launch in 2022, the FOCUS
Program has awarded more than $2.9
million to 50 organizations throughout the United States.
Exact Sciences developed Cologuard®, the first and
only FDA-approved, noninvasive, multi-target, stool-based DNA
screening test that people can use at home. Since making the test
available in 2014, Exact Sciences has delivered more than 13
million Cologuard results to patients.
Awardees
Axis Community Health
Pleasanton, Calif.
The organization
plans to improve CRC screening rates and follow-up colonoscopy
compliance within its patient community through comprehensive
education on screening options and United States Preventive
Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines, targeted outreach to
uninsured patients who have never been screened, and automated
reminders for both patients and providers.
Chiricahua Community Health Centers,
Inc.
Douglas,
Ariz.
Chiricahua will integrate patient navigation
services led by community health workers to improve CRC screening
rates in its diverse, rural patient populations.
Christian Community Health Services DBA Crossroad Health
Center
Cincinnati,
Ohio
The center will promote shared decision making
in CRC screening, support marginalized populations who have never
been screened, and improve compliance for screening in average-risk
adults ages 45-49.
Community Health Center Network
San Leandro, Calif.
The network
plans to streamline patient care and improve CRC screening rates
for specific populations by conducting outreach and sharing
screening education in patients' preferred language.
Five Rivers Samaritan Health Center
Dayton, Ohio
The center will focus on
increasing the screening rate of the unhoused, uninsured patient
population. It will provide access to private restrooms for sample
collection, access to mail for sample delivery, lodging before
colonoscopy appointments, and transportation to colonoscopies.
These services will be provided at no cost to patients.
Fort Drum Regional Health Planning
Organization
Watertown,
N.Y.
The organization will work to increase screening
rates in marginalized older-adult, low-income, and disabled
populations in New York's rural
Jefferson, Lewis, and St.
Lawrence counties.
Generations Family Health Center, Inc.
Willimantic, Conn.
The federally
qualified health center (FQHC) will improve professional and
patient education on the importance of screening to increase
screening rates for patients ages 45-49 and uninsured patients
requiring individualized assistance.
Harbor Community Clinic dba Harbor Community Health
Centers
San Pedro,
Calif.
Using grant funding, the community health
center aims to increase screening rates from 34% to 60% for
patients ages 45-49.
Illinois Public Health Association
Springfield, Ill.
The association will
engage community health workers to implement a patient navigation
program and increase community outreach, with a specific emphasis
on residents of color and immigrant, migrant, and refugee
populations.
Jane Pauley Community Health Center
Indianapolis, Ind.
By improving patient
adherence and promoting informed decision making, the center
intends to increase screenings in marginalized populations.
Kaleida Health Foundation
Buffalo, N.Y.
By increasing patient
education and building adherence programs, the foundation aims to
address social determinants of health barriers to increase
screening rates and improve colonoscopy completion rates after a
positive stool test. The foundation will focus on adults ages 45-49
in the African American, Hispanic, and immigrant communities in
Buffalo.
Kansas City CARE Clinic dba KC CARE Health
Center
Kansas City,
Mo.
Most patients of this FQHC are uninsured,
underinsured, or living on low incomes in urban Kansas City, and they have not historically
had access to routine preventive care. As a result of process
improvements and a targeted CRC campaign in spring 2023, screening
rates improved 21%. Using this funding, the center will work to
increase screening rates by an additional 5% in 18 months.
Lone Star Circle of
Care
Georgetown,
Texas
The FQHC will utilize patient navigation
services to increase screening rates for adults ages 45-49, the
patients with the lowest rate of CRC screening, and further
overcome barriers to care for underserved patients by increasing
access to screening options.
Marshall Medical Center
Placerville, Calif.
As the only
hospital facility within approximately 25 miles for many people in
the area, the center has served more than 175,000 rural and
semi-rural residents. It will work to improve screening rates,
particularly in these rural areas, for marginalized populations and
adults ages 45-49.
Mississippi State Department of Health
Ridgeland, Miss.
The department will
convene community partners and stakeholders to make screening
options available to medically underserved African Americans in the
rural delta of Mississippi.
Optimus Health Care
Bridgeport, Conn.
In 2022, fewer than
half of Optimus' patients were screened for CRC. To lessen the
preventive healthcare disparities in its community, the
organization will use this funding to improve screening rates in
patients who belong to racial and ethnic minority groups and those
who are uninsured and underinsured.
Ozarks Community Health Center
Hermitage, Mo.
The center will use
community health workers to improve education and increase patient
outreach, in order to begin closing the screening gap in its
communities.
Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative
Sauk City, Wis.
This cooperative will
use funding to address a crucial CRC screening disparity in rural
Wisconsin. The screening rate in
rural Wisconsin is approximately
60%, compared to an overall Wisconsin screening rate of 80%.
Southwest Community Health Center,
Inc.
Bridgeport,
Conn.
Southwest intends to increase screening rates
in its approximately 26,000 clients, of whom more than 95% live
under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, 87% are racially or
ethnically diverse, and 25% are better served in a language other
than English.
Talbot County Health Department
Easton, Md.
The department will create
a systemic process for advancing screening awareness and education,
with a focus on marginalized patient populations.
The Centers
Cleveland,
Ohio
This FQHC will increase patient navigation
services, deepen partnerships with hospitals to facilitate free or
accessible screening, increase awareness of screening options, and
provide transportation to encourage residents to be screened for
CRC.
Tri-County Community Health Council, Inc. dba CommWell
Health
Four Oaks,
N.C.
CommWell Health will launch Project FIERCE
(Facilitating the Improvement of Equitable Rates of Colorectal
Exams) to implement evidence-based interventions to organize CRC
screenings for patients.
Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare
Quality
Madison,
Wis.
The collaborative aims to increase participation
from health systems across Wisconsin to improve CRC screening through a
continued focus on shared decision making, education, and data
analysis.
About the FOCUS Program
Launched in June 2022, Exact Sciences' Funding Opportunities
for CRC Screening Uptake Strategies (FOCUS) Program provides grant
funding to community organizations, health foundations, public
health organizations, and CRC advocacy groups to expand access to
colorectal cancer screening and create affordable pathways to
follow-up diagnostic care. FOCUS reflects Exact Sciences' ongoing
commitment to meet people where they are and offer solutions to
overcome barriers to care, regardless of a patient's race,
ethnicity, gender identity, socioeconomic status, or geographic
location. Submissions are reviewed via Exact
Sciences' corporate grants process, which is fully
independent from sales and marketing activities. Funding
decisions are based solely on the strength of the application
and alignment with FOCUS Program objectives, without
regard to any actual or potential commercial relationships with
potential grantees. Learn more about the FOCUS
Program.
About Exact Sciences Corp.
A leading provider of
cancer screening and diagnostic tests, Exact Sciences gives
patients and healthcare professionals the clarity needed to take
life-changing action earlier. Building on the success of the
Cologuard® and Oncotype® tests, Exact
Sciences is investing in its pipeline to develop innovative
solutions for use before, during, and after a cancer diagnosis. For
more information, visit ExactSciences.com, follow Exact Sciences on
X (formerly known as Twitter) @ExactSciences, or find Exact
Sciences on LinkedIn and Facebook.
NOTE: Exact Sciences and Cologuard are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Exact Sciences Corporation. All other
trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective
owners.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains
forward-looking statements concerning our expectations,
anticipations, intentions, beliefs or strategies regarding the
future. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions
that we have made as of the date hereof and are subject to known
and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results, conditions and events to differ materially from those
anticipated. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements. Risks and uncertainties that may affect our
forward-looking statements are described in the Risk Factors
sections of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any
subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and in our other reports
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no
obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement,
whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time,
whether as a result of new information, future developments or
otherwise.
* Based on 2022 USA single year census estimates for ages 45-85
inclusive and the percentage of unscreened subjects. Does not
account for variable screening rates across age ranges.
References:
- Siegel RL Miller KD, Wagle NS, Jemal A.
Cancer statistics, 2023. CA Cancer J Clin.
2023;73(1):17-48.
- United States Census Bureau. Annual Estimates of the Resident
Population by Single Year of Age and Sex for the United States: April 1, 2020 to July 1,
2022 (NC-EST2022-AGESEX-RES). Accessed
10May2023. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-national-detail.html
- American Cancer Society. Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures
2023-2025. Atlanta: American
Cancer Society; 2023.
- Jemal A, Siegel RL, Ma J, et al. Inequalities in premature
death from colorectal cancer by state. J Clin Oncol.
2015;33(8):829-835
- Itzkowitz SH. Incremental advances in excremental cancer
detection tests. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009;101(18):1225-1227.
doi:10.1093/jnci/djp273
Media Contact (U.S.):
Steph Spanos
+1 608-556-4380
sspanos@exactsciences.com
Investor Contact:
Erik Holznecht
+1 608-800-6605
investorrelations@exactsciences.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/exact-sciences-awards-grants-to-23-organizations-focused-on-increasing-colorectal-cancer-screenings-302008511.html
SOURCE EXACT SCIENCES CORP