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Colorectal cancer continues to be a critical community health challenge across Georgia, particularly in areas served by Wellstar. High cancer incidence rates are driven by barriers such as limited access to education on screening guidelines, risk reduction strategies and screening resources. This lack of access impacts not only the affected communities but also the organizations working to support them.

To address these challenges, the Wellstar Center for Health Equity and Wellstar Community Health have launched the ColoCare Connect Program, funded by the 2024-2025 Community Health Improvement Plan Partnership Grant from Cobb & Douglas Public Health (CDPH) with support from the Wellstar Foundation. This program aims to improve access to colorectal cancer education and screenings by providing fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) to community clinics serving high-risk populations.

Building on insights gained through previous collaborations, including the #GoodDownThere campaign with BLKHLTH and Cottonelle, this program is designed to overcome obstacles such as low awareness, insufficient health insurance coverage, fear of test results and limited access to resources.

The ColoCare Connect Program focuses on empowering community clinics to seamlessly integrate colorectal cancer screening into their care workflows. This approach supports education, screening and follow-up care, ensuring a more comprehensive and sustainable impact while directly addressing barriers to improve screening rates and outcomes among high-risk and underserved populations.

We are excited to collaborate with the following community clinic organizations on this initiative:

• Bethesda Community Clinic
• Bwell Medical and Wellness Center
• The Rouse Foundation
• Someone Cares, Inc.

These partnerships will help bring critical screening resources to vulnerable populations while supporting clinics in their mission to provide equitable healthcare.

We are grateful for the commitment of these clinics and look forward to seeing the positive impact of the ColoCare Connect Program in the communities we serve. Together, we are making strides toward reducing the burden of colorectal cancer and advancing health equity across Georgia.

It seems "defeat" just isn't in John Cashen's vocabulary. A survivor in more ways than one, John has overcome not only a catastrophic natural disaster, but also fought cancer with unyielding resilience.

In 2005, as flood waters from Hurricane Katrina rose and threatened his New Orleans home, John took an axe to his attic's ceiling, climbed atop his roof and tied himself to his chimney so he wouldn't be swept away. Days later, no help had arrived, so John untied himself and swam to an overpass where he was rescued by a helicopter. He joined the rest of his family in Georgia.

Since then, John has become a proud citizen of LaGrange. A master of everything Mardi Gras, John runs a local krewe and is a natural at building parade floats from the foundation up. But when he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019, he summoned his fighting spirit, squared his shoulders, and faced his cancer journey head on.

The Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center Pharmacogenomics Program (CaPP) has launched pharmacogenomics testing services for the center’s patients and oncologists. Pharmacogenomics employs genetic sequence alterations in drug metabolism genes to predict toxicity.

The tests measure changes in genes that make proteins that metabolize common chemotherapy drugs. If a patient has a mutation in these genes, their metabolism will not handle the drug properly. This may cause the patient to become sick.

“These tests can help people avoid severe toxicity from chemotherapy. We want to optimize treatment for patients who need a lower dose when they have any gene mutation,” said Dr. John W. Henson, director of neuro-oncology at the Medical College of Georgia and the Wellstar Georgia Cancer Center. The Pharmacogenomics Program is co-led by Henson in the Hereditary Cancer Clinic and Dr. Katherine Saunders-Wohlfrom in Oncology Pharmacy.

The program’s initial focus will be on patients with gastrointestinal cancers in conjunction with Dr. Asha Nayak. Henson said this is where the biggest impact will come right away. Other service lines, including breast cancer, will benefit as more testing is done.

“This is a valuable message to the community,” said Henson. “CaPP services will include testing support, report interpretation, document management, clinician consultation, and patient and family consultation.”

Henson also thanked Dr. Brandy D. Gunsolus in Clinical Laboratory Science for her help with the program, saying she was instrumental in developing the order process.