Since its launch in 2022, the FOCUS Program
has awarded more than $4.5 million to over 75 organizations
throughout the United States
Exact Sciences, a leading provider of cancer screening and
diagnostic tests, announced today that it awarded a total of $1.5
million to 28 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 health care more accessible, with a focus on medically
underserved populations.
CRC is one of the most preventable and treatable cancers if
caught in early stages.1,2 Yet an estimated 60 million average-risk
adults remain unscreened in the United States,3 which is one reason
more than 50,000 people die from this disease each year in the U.S.
alone.4 In part because of low screening rates, CRC remains the
second-leading cause of cancer death in this country.1
Nearly half of premature CRC deaths are related to racial,
ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic inequalities.5 The most
vulnerable patient populations often go unscreened for CRC,4 which
is one reason these communities are up to 11% more likely to be
diagnosed with CRC in later stages,6 when the disease is less
treatable.
"Exact Sciences is committed to helping eradicate colorectal
cancer, and to do that, we must break down barriers to ensure that
the most vulnerable populations have access to effective screening
options,” said Paul Limburg, Chief Medical Officer, Screening, at
Exact Sciences. “We are proud to support these dedicated
organizations that are addressing screening disparities in their
communities.”
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 and awareness.
Since its launch in 2022, the FOCUS Program has awarded more
than $4.5 million to over 75 organizations throughout the United
States. Across the country, FOCUS grant awardees have created a
lasting impact in their local communities. For example, after
receiving a FOCUS grant in 2022, Community Health Network, Inc.,
has increased screening rates in their uninsured New York patients
by 20% and in their patients ages 45-55 by 15%; the Nebraska Cancer
Coalition was able to grow screening awareness among more than
400,000 rural Nebraskans; and Access Community Health Centers,
which serve a racially and ethnically diverse patient population
with high poverty rates in Wisconsin, have increased screening
rates from 37% to 55%.
2024 Awardees
African American Male Wellness Agency Columbus, Ohio The
agency will focus on growing awareness of the high incidence of CRC
in communities that are less likely to receive preventive care and
screening education, focusing on the holistic health of African
American men and their families.
Alliance Medical Center Healdsburg, Calif. The center
will enact targeted outreach to increase CRC screenings with a
focus on patients ages 45-49, patients who have never been
screened, and the Hispanic/Latino community.
Anthony L. Jordan Health Corporation (dba Jordan Health)
Rochester, N.Y. Using grant funding, Jordan Health aims to increase
CRC screening rates from 23% to 50% for patients ages 46-55 by
employing shared decision-making and offering multiple screening
options.
Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services
(ACCESS) Detroit, Mich. Through transportation services and
bilingual CRC screening education, ACCESS intends to increase the
awareness of CRC morbidity and access to equitable health care to
low-income Detroit-area residents of Middle Eastern and North
African descent.
Bingham Healthcare Blackfoot, Idaho Bingham Healthcare
will use this grant to educate the southeastern Idaho Hispanic
community on the benefits of CRC prevention and early detection.
Through education, financial support, and language assistance,
Bingham Healthcare aims to increase screening rates in the Latinx
community.
Blue Ridge Health Hendersonville, N.C. Blue Ridge Health
will focus on increasing CRC screening rates for never-screened
patients ages 45-75 and increasing access to screening for
low-income and uninsured patients.
Charter Oak Health Center, Inc. Hartford, Conn. Charter
Oak Health Center, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in
Hartford, CT, aims to improve CRC screening rates by 10% among
patients, 87% of whom identify as Hispanic/Latino or Black/African
American.
Colorectal Cancer Prevention Network at University of South
Carolina Columbia, S.C. To decrease screening barriers among
the Hispanic population, the network will increase bilingual
patient navigation services and provide evidence of the need for
bilingual health care support to South Carolina legislators for
future funding of the program.
Enloe Health Foundation Chico, Calif. Enloe Health
Foundation plans to combat CRC in Butte County, which ranks among
the highest in California for both incidence and late-stage
diagnoses, by increasing targeted education for screening and
offering financial assistance for underserved populations.
Family Centers Inc. Greenwich, Conn. Using grant funding,
the organization’s FQHC aims to increase screening rates to 45% in
ages 45-49 and to 50% for uninsured/underinsured individuals.
Genesis Community Health Boynton Beach, Fla. Genesis
Community Health will use funding to partner with local community
providers to promote screening options and reduce barriers to
follow-up colonoscopy adherence. The organization provides care for
the underserved and uninsured populations of South Florida,
including unhoused patients and patients living below the federal
poverty level.
Glenns Ferry Health Center, Inc., dba Desert Sage Health
Centers Mountain Home, Idaho The FQHC will offer uninsured
patients more screening options to address the significant CRC
screening disparities between insured and uninsured patients in
rural southwest Idaho.
Henry J. Austin Health Center Trenton, N.J. By promoting
patient-validated education, shared decision-making, and multiple
screening options, the center aims to increase screening rates in
patients ages 45-75.
Horizon Health and Wellness Apache Junction, Ariz. By
addressing the barriers facing the rural patient population, such
as access to and availability of screening options, Horizon Health
and Wellness aims to increase CRC screenings by 25%.
Medlink Georgia, Inc. Colbert, Ga. Medlink will
collaborate with patients to ensure an equitable approach to
screening access, increasing CRC screening rates from 44% to 60%
with a focus on medically underserved, low-income, and uninsured
adults.
Merakey Total Health and The National African American Male
Wellness Agency Philadelphia, Pa. The agency will utilize
grassroots community engagement and partner with community health
workers to increase screening rates in the Philadelphia community,
with a specific emphasis on the African American community,
never-screened Philadelphians, and individuals ages 45-50.
MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital Yakima, Wash.
Washington State University and MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital
will collaborate to address the imbalance of CRC-related deaths in
the predominately Latino community by using tailored,
evidence-based electronic messaging focusing on cultural identity,
cultural empowerment, and overcoming screening barriers.
Northwell Health New Hyde Park, N.Y. Using grant funding,
Northwell Health will aim to reduce barriers to CRC screening with
a focus on females over age 45 to address the screening rate among
female patients, which is 10% lower than the screening rate in male
patients.
Operation Samahan, Inc., dba Opsam Health National City,
Calif. Opsam Health intends to increase screening rates in its
approximately 14,000 FQHC clients. Of the population served, about
90% live under 200% of the federal poverty level, 85% are racially
or ethnically diverse, and 42% are better served in a language
other than English.
Real Dads Network Peekskill, N.Y. The network aims to
address the disproportionate burden of CRC on Black men by
destigmatizing screening and spreading awareness through
entertaining community engagement, such as comedy shows, spoken
word performances, book discussions, film screenings, and health
discussions.
San Fernando Community Health Center San Fernando, Calif.
Serving a population where 87% live under 200% of the federal
poverty level and 90% are using Medi-Cal or are uninsured, the FQHC
will provide transportation to health centers and offer one-on-one
education on CRC screening to increase awareness and adherence
among its most vulnerable population.
Southern California Medical Center Van Nuys, Calif. The
center aims to provide accessible health care regardless of race,
LGBTQ+ status, socioeconomic standing, age, gender or non-binary
identity, cultural background, language spoken, or ability to pay,
offering interpreters in over 200 languages. By offering
transportation services and patient navigation protocols, the
center aims to screen at least 2,500 individuals annually.
The Brooklyn Hospital Center Brooklyn, N.Y. To improve
overall screening rates from 68% to 82% by November 2025, the
hospital will use funding to educate providers and clinical support
staff, promote shared decision-making, and implement patient
outreach reminders.
The HealthCare Connection Cincinnati, Ohio The HealthCare
Connection, Ohio’s first Community Health Center, will focus on
expanding screening accessibility and ensuring affordable follow-up
appointments for its patient population, which includes over 50%
from minority backgrounds and 30% needing language assistance
programs.
The Los Angeles Free Clinic dba Saban Community Clinic
Los Angeles, Calif. The “Screen Early/Stay Healthy” project will
improve awareness and accessibility of CRC screening among
low-income and vulnerable patients with a focus on supporting those
ages 45-49, aiming to increase overall screening rates by 10%.
The Regents of the University of California at UCI Health
Family Health Center Irvine, Calif. The FQHC will use funding
to increase CRC screening rates roughly 14% over the next 18 months
by developing best practices on interventions for unscreened
populations.
Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey Inc. (VNACJ)
Children and Family Institute Neptune, N.J. The nonprofit aims
to demystify screening and remove barriers for their more than
55,000 medically underserved, low-income patients, through
community-based support and increased bilingual navigational
services.
Westside Family Health Center Culver City, Calif. The
center serves patients from more than 173 ZIP codes, 97% of whom
live at or below 200% of the federal poverty line and 33% who are
uninsured. WFHC intends to increase screening rates for its patient
population, which is 49% Hispanic/Latino, through awareness and
outreach campaigns.
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 health care 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
section 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.
References:
1 Siegel RL, Giaquinto AN, Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2024. CA
Cancer J Clin. 2024;74:12-49.
2 Itzkowitz SH. Incremental advances in excremental cancer
detection tests. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009;101(18):1225-1227.
doi:10.1093/jnci/djp273
3 Ebner DW, Kisiel JB, Fendrick AM, et al. Estimated
Average-Risk Colorectal Cancer Screening-Eligible Population in the
US. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(3):e245537.
4 American Cancer Society. Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures
2023-2025. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2023.
5 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
6 Ho C, Kornfield R, Vittinghoff E, et al. Late presentation of
colorectal cancer in a vulnerable population [published correction
appears in Am J Gastroenterol. 2013 Jun;108(6):1020]. Am J
Gastroenterol. 2013;108(4):466-470.
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