Walgreens joins forces with Colorectal Cancer Alliance for National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is launching several initiatives to coincide with National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, including joining Walgreens to reach people who use the Walgreens Find Care app, offering them a direct link to the Alliance screening quiz to learn their risk factors for colorectal cancer.
Walgreens and the Alliance are amplifying this message through social media and pharmacist and patient education materials.
The Alliance partnered with Boom Broadcast to develop and launch a humorous and relatable PSA. “But, stuff…” emphasizes that when it comes to screening, tomorrow can’t wait, and urges people to learn more about colorectal cancer risk factors and prevention.
[Watch DSN: Walgreens pharmacists on the frontlines of patient testing services]
Additionally, the Alliance created a first-of-its-kind, customized, digital support platform, BlueHQ, to help patients and caregivers find critical information after a colorectal cancer diagnosis, during treatment, or in survivorship. BlueHQ offers personalized resources, tools and communities to navigate the disease and improve patient outcomes.
Cancer screening rates drastically dropped during the COVID pandemic, so many hospitals and community health centers are now trying to bring screening rates back to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, during the pandemic, in May 2021, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued new recommendations for colorectal cancer stating that people at average risk should start screening at age 45, which allows health insurance companies to cover the cost of the test at a younger age, the Alliance noted.
[Read more: Walgreens offering flu, COVID-19 testing in single visit at over 5,000 locations]
Michael Sapienza, CEO of The Colorectal Cancer Alliance said, “Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the U.S., yet it has a 91% survival rate when caught early. It is lesser known and less funded than other cancers, even though it is more deadly. We’ve significantly increased our awareness and education efforts because it’s imperative that people know colorectal cancer is preventable, and screening saves lives.”