Local Church Leaders, Doctors Join Forces to Prevent Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death among African Americans. This is partly because these communities have poor access to colorectal cancer screening and services.

These sobering facts are the reason why Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and the Covenant United Church of Christ partnered to offer colorectal screening resources and wellness checks to more than 1,500 African American congregants.

Those who attended the wellness and screening event got the opportunity to meet with Advocate Illinois Masonic colorectal surgeon Dr. Joaquin Estrada and gastroenterologist Dr. Andrew Albert. The physicians went over colorectal cancer education, including prevention, options for testing, and risk factors. Attendees also received free fecal immunochemical tests (FIT), a take-home screening test for colon cancer.

In addition to the colorectal cancer education, volunteers from Advocate Illinois Masonic offered blood pressure tests and stress tests.

The colorectal cancer team at Advocate Illinois Masonic is known nationally for their pioneering efforts to drive up colorectal cancer screenings. In fact, the team was recognized in 2017 as the grand prize winner of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s 80% by 2018 National Achievement Award.

The goal of the 80% by 2018 initiative, created by NCCRT and co-founded by the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is to screen 80% of eligible adults for colon cancer by 2018.

At Advocate Illinois Masonic, the team estimates that the colorectal screening rate is close to 80 percent for adults aged 50 and older. This is mostly due to the success of their innovative direct access screening program, which was created to reduce wait times, increase access and provide a fully coordinated patient experience.

The American College of Surgeons recommends men and women at average risk for developing colorectal cancer undergo a colonoscopy every 10 years starting at age 50. Adults with other risk factors, such as a family history of cancer or a personal diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, may need to start testing earlier or undergo testing more frequently.

To learn more about our direct access screening program, click here. To learn more about your potential risk of colorectal cancer, take our colorectal health assessment.

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About Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center is a 397-bed non-profit teaching hospital located in the Lake View neighborhood on Chicago's North Side. The medical center has a Level I Trauma Center and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the highest designations awarded by the state of Illinois, and offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care, including cardiovascular, oncology, digestive health and neurosciences services. A recipient of numerous awards for quality and clinical excellence, Advocate Illinois Masonic has achieved Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The medical center has also been named a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign's Healthcare Equality Index. Advocate Illinois Masonic is part of Advocate Health Care, the largest fully integrated health system in Illinois. For more information, visit www.advocatehealth.com/masonic.