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Community Corner

Capital Digestive Care Partners with Colon Cancer Alliance to Reach Underserved

Capital Digestive Care, a group of 60 physicians in the Washington, D.C. region, will serve as the area’s founding partner for a Colon Cancer Alliance program focused on underserved communities. The two groups join forces to reduce the colon cancer mortality rate across a region that leads the country in deaths attributed to colon cancer. Key to the program is getting the message out among African Americans, the primary underserved community in the D.C. region.  Although it’s not understood why, African Americans are diagnosed with colon cancer 20 percent more than any other ethnic group. They also have a 45 percent higher death rate because they are more likely to be diagnosed in later stages, when it is harder to treat.

“We are honored to partner with Colon Cancer Alliance to spread colon cancer awareness through collaborative education and advocacy initiatives,” said Dr. Arnold Levy, president and CEO of Capital Digestive Care. “One of our key messages is that African Americans need to be screened at age 45, five years earlier than other groups. Early detection can significantly improve chances for survival.”

According to the CDC
, the Greater Washington, D.C. Metro Area has the country’s highest rate of lives lost due to colon cancer and nearly 30% of at-risk D.C. residents are not up-to-date with colon cancer screening recommendations.

“We’re committed to improving screening rates across the country and it is a tragedy that many of our friends and neighbors here in Washington have died from colon cancer – a largely preventable disease,” said Eric Hargis, CEO of Washington-based Colon Cancer Alliance, the largest colon cancer patient advocacy organization in the country. “We look forward to growing our partnership with Capital Digestive Care and more importantly, saving lives through increased screening rates.”

Through the new program, Capital Digestive Care and Colon Cancer Alliance seek to boost screening rates among at-risk communities by hosting educational activities, joining community events, distributing informative materials and more. 

View the free infographic, "A Cancer Too Common: African Americans and Colon Cancer" >> http://bitly.com/Infograph-CRC-AfricanAmericans



About the Colon Cancer Alliance
The Colon Cancer Alliance’s mission is to knock colon cancer out of the top three cancer killers. This mission is being accomplished by championing prevention, funding cutting-edge research and providing the highest quality patient support services. Learn more at ccalliance.org

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About Capital Digestive Care
Capital Digestive Care is a group of 60 physicians unified across the Washington Metropolitan Area in their desire to advance the delivery of care for patients suffering from all types of digestive health conditions. Capital Digestive Care offers the greatest collective experience in the area along with the most accessible care. The group’s physicians practice at 16 office locations and are affiliated with 15 hospitals and 8 outpatient endoscopy centers, where more than 30,000 colonoscopies are performed each year. Many of them are actively involved in research studies, programs and clinical trials through Chevy Chase Clinical Research, the largest research program of its kind in the region. More than 300 studies have been conducted at the facility in all areas of Gastroenterology, especially in IBD, and some areas of Internal Medicine. For more information, please visit capitaldigestivecare.com.

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