Funds Raised at Get Your Rear in Gear – Charlotte Help Fund Colon Cancer Program at Levine Cancer Institute
CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 27, 2019 – Residents in Anson and Stanly counties will now have improved access to colon cancer resources thanks to a generous grant from the Colon Cancer Coalition. The Coalition is awarding Atrium Health’s Levine Cancer Institute with a $20,000 grant to support Get FIT for Life. The money for this grant comes from funds raised during the 2018 Get Your Rear in Gear – Charlotte event.
The Get FIT for Life program will target underserved, uninsured, and underinsured men and women across Anson and Stanly Counties. Leading the program will be a highly skilled, culturally competent Cancer Program Development Specialist who will identify patients in need, connect them to critical resources, and lay the framework for the health literacy education required to sustain long-term wellness.
“Hundreds of individuals in our region lack the education to understand why colon cancer screening is critical or lack the necessary insurance coverage to pay for testing,” said Mellisa Wheeler, Director of Disparities & Outreach at Levine Cancer Institute. “Funding from the Colon Cancer Coalition will enable the Outreach team at Levine Cancer Institute to now tackle that challenge, head-on, through a comprehensive education/screening program.”
“We are thrilled to support the work being done to reach the underserved and uninsured patients in Anson and Stanly Counties through the Get FIT for Life program,” says Anne Carlson, president of the Colon Cancer Coalition. “We know that over 1,500 North Carolinians will lose their lives from this disease in 2019. Working in these communities will help us increase screening for colorectal cancer and save lives.”
A Coalition representative presented a check to Wheeler and her team at a ceremony in January at Levine Cancer Institute (pictured).
Registration for the 2019 Get Your Rear in Gear – Charlotte on Saturday, March 30, 2019 is available on site. Please visit coloncancercoalition.org/charlotte for more information.
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