Cancer has been a burden on American society for generations now. It is expected that over 1,600,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease in 2015 alone, with close to 600,000 estimated deaths. While improvements to treatments and diagnostic technologies have certainly increased the number of lives saved, it’s a constant battle for individuals of all ages to cope with such a deadly disease.
Early detection has been vital in treating cancer patients, and now the American Cancer Society has stepped into the Fort Worth community and eliminated a huge roadblock to early detection, which is the cost of testing.
Fort Worth Clinic Funded to Assist Low-Income Patients
It’s said that a community is judged by the way they treat the ones who need the most help. Well, the American Cancer Society is embodying that message and has shelled out $50,000 to the North Texas Community Health Center in the form of a grant that will go towards lowering the cost of cancer screenings. For one Fort Worth resident in particular, a $1,500 colonoscopy screening was reduced to $125.00, a huge difference and one that can ultimately save lives.
The North Texas Community Health Center is the only federally qualified clinic in Tarrant County, so having it receive the grant will have a major impact on residents. Being able to afford screenings shouldn’t be a deterrent to taking steps that could save a life and receiving these funds will go a long way to ensure more residents of Tarrant County get properly screened.
A Bigger Plan
With a lack of insurance and limited income being the main barriers to getting screened, the American Cancer Society hopes these grants can spearhead its initiative to have 80% of adults over 50 screened on a regular basis by 2018. The grants are meant to benefit lower-income families and eliminate or severely reduce the cost aspect associated with screenings.
Texas is expected to see over 10,000 cases of colon cancer alone. And having the third highest instances of death among all cancers, it’s one of the screenings that clinics hope to focus on with the funds from this grant.
Supporting the Community
PCS Bail Bonds has been part of the Fort Worth community for over two decades and any initiative that looks to uplift the residents in any way is one which we will support. And although we work primarily in bail bonds within Tarrant County, it’s important for us to highlight these types of opportunities because they are a benefit to us all.
That said, we must all push and encourage each other to get screened. Language and information is another barrier to screenings, so helping our neighbors understand the importance of this initiative and how it benefits them is a challenge we should all take on as Fort Worth residents.
Sources:
Smith, D., “Fort Worth clinics get funds to help low-income patients pay for colon cancer screenings,” Star-Telegram web site, March 14, 2015; http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article14049647.html.
“Cancer Facts & Figures 2015,” American Cancer Society web site; http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@editorial/documents/document/acspc-044552.pdf, last accessed March 26, 2015.