WNC-CRCSI Awarded $38K Grant from Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation
The Western Carolina Medical Society (WCMS) is pleased to announce that the Western North Carolina Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative (WNC-CRCSI) has received a $38,000 grant from the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation. This grant will support the expansion of the program into Macon, Jackson, and Swain counties. The WNC-CRCSI Expansion Program offers essential colorectal cancer screenings to average-risk individuals across Western North Carolina.
“This funding enables the WNC-CRCSI program to expand into new counties to screen at-risk patients for colorectal cancer,” said WNC-CRCSI Program Manager Lynn Lewis. “Rural communities often face additional barriers to screening. This grant will provide the necessary funding to provide vital educational resources, screening access, and colonoscopies for FIT-positive patients in the Western part of our region. We are grateful to Highlands-Cashiers for their support of the program’s expansion” added Lewis.
About the WNC Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative
The WNC Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative (WNC-CRCSI) currently provides vital colorectal cancer screening to average-risk, uninsured, low-income patients between the ages of 45 and 75 in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Mitchell, Yancey, Transylvania, McDowell, Haywood, Rutherford, and Polk Counties. The program is run by Digestive Health Partners (a gastroenterology practice in Asheville) in collaboration with local federally qualified community health centers, WCMS’s Project Access, independent primary care offices, and the American Cancer Society. The program was founded by local physician, Dr. Michael Newcomer of Digestive Health Partners, who remains the Medical Director of the program. Started in 2016, the WNC-CRCSI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) housed within WCMS.
About The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation
The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation was established on February 1, 2019, as a 501(c)3 public charity to improve the health and well-being of Highlands, Cashiers, and surrounding communities. Together with generous community support, the Health Foundation aims to make positive and lasting change by supporting projects and programs that improve health and well-being. To date, the Health Foundation has awarded 135 grants to 82 organizations, investing over $10 million into the communities we serve. Visit www.HCHealthFnd.org to join us in Lifting Health and Well-Being, Together.
About The Western Carolina Medical Society
The Western Carolina Medical Society’s mission is to advocate for healthy communities, increase access to affordable healthcare, fight health inequities, and promote wellness in WNC. Since 1885, WCMS has been respected for its leadership and innovation in addressing issues of access to affordable health care, disparities in health, and wellness promotion. Throughout its history, WCMS has been at the forefront of working collaboratively with area organizations to address the health challenges facing our community’s residents.
