Western North Carolina Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative Awarded $1250 from the Harry R. Morrill Endowment Fund
Asheville, NC – The Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation is pleased to announce that the Western North Carolina Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative (WNC-CRCSI) was awarded a $1,250 grant from the Rotary Club of Asheville’s Harry R. Morrill Endowment Fund.
This grant will support the work of the WNC-CRCSI’s effort to provide community outreach, education, and FIT (fecal immunochemical test) based colorectal cancer screening to uninsured individuals between the ages of 45-75 in Buncombe, Madison, Mitchell, Yancey, Henderson, Transylvania, Rutherford, and Polk Counties. Specifically, this grant will help cover the costs of endoscopy suites and wraparound services for low-income patients.
The WNC-CRCSI began as part of the Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation’s Project Access® in Buncombe and Madison counties in 2016. The program has since expanded beyond Project Access® to cover patients in Mitchell, Yancey, Henderson, Transylvania, Rutherford, and Polk counties and uninsured patients in Buncombe and Madison who do not qualify for Project Access®. The WNC-CRCSI is a collaboration between Project Access®, Digestive Health Partners (a private practice), and local federally qualified health centers.
The WNC-CRCSI provides colorectal cancer screening to uninsured individuals between the ages of 45 and 75 using stool-based fecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening.
About the Harry R. Morrill Endowment Fund and Asheville Rotary Club
Mr. Harry Morrill moved to Asheville in 1965 and joined the Rotary Club of Asheville in 1972 at the age of 81. He was familiar with Rotary having been a Rotarian for 35 years in California. In addition to his work with his local Rotary, Mr. Harry Morrill served as the District Governor of District 526 which, at the time, covered Southern California-Nevada-Arizona.
In 1981, on his 90th birthday, he made the initial deposit for the Harry R Morrill Community Grants endowment and later, upon his death in 1986, he bequeathed additional funds to the endowment. Harry Morrill was a Rotarian for 49 years and his endowment has been serving the Asheville Rotary Club’s work in Asheville for 42 years.
The Rotary Club of Asheville is a non-profit service club of engaged and passionate volunteers who desire to do good in the community and the world while honoring shared ethics and core values as described in the four-way test. They meet on Thursdays at 12:30 pm at Tuton Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church, 60 Church St, Asheville, NC 28801.
About The Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation
The Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation’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.
For more information about the Western Carolina Medical Society Foundation, contact Niki Duff, Director of Development at niki@mywcms.org or visit www.mywcms.org.
