In Kentucky
Over the past several years, the Project has worked closely with Kentucky lawmakers and leaders to craft and implement state legislation geared toward making sure as many individuals have access to life-saving colon cancer screenings as possible.

In fall of 2011, we filed a bill that would fund a colon cancer screening program for uninsured Kentuckians. Click here for more information on that bill.

For a breakdown of the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program and what you can share with your legislators, click here.

Want to help?
Contact your local leaders and state legislators to share your story and tell them that it is time to support colon cancer screening and education programs. Too many Kentuckians continue to die from this highly preventable disease! Join us to fight for affordable preventive services and awareness. You would be surprised what a couple of phone calls and letters can do! Who's my legislator? Click here to find out.

Leading up to the 2008 legislative session, the Project engaged leadership in the Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the Governor's Office, as well as state legislators to educate them about the danger colon cancer poses to Kentuckians and individuals across the United States. As a result, two laws were enacted: KRS § 304.17A-247 ("Coverage under health benefit plan for colorectal cancer examinations and laboratory tests") and KRS §§ 214.540-544 ("Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program").

The first requires insurers to cover colorectal screening procedures for Kentuckians 50 and older and those considered at risk under the American Cancer Society guidelines.Click here to read this legislation.

The second law creates a program to provide screenings for uninsured Kentuckians and an accompanying awareness campaign to educate all Kentuckians about colon cancer risk factors and prevention.Click here to read this legislation.

In recognition of his leadership, Project founder Dr. Whitney Jones as appointed and subsequently elected Chair of the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program Advisory Committee. The Project continues to serve on the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program Advisory Committee to work with statewide partners to secure funding for this vitally important program.

Prior to the 2010 legislative session, the Project again took the lead and pushed for legislation to provide much needed funding to implement the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program. The Project served as a driving force in a statewide grassroots campaign to educate state leaders about the impact of colon cancer on Kentucky. This outreach resulted in 48 bipartisan co-sponsors signing on to support House Bill 72, which allocated funding for the screening program.

The bill passed both the House and Senate, but was significantly modified during Senate debate. The funding provisions were removed but components that will ultimately help improve access to screenings for lower income Kentuckians were maintained. The legislation creates a sliding fee scale that will allow local health departments to screen more individuals once the General Assembly invests funds. The legislation was also named in honor of Richard "Butch" Stewart, a long-time employee of the Kentucky General Assembly who passed away after a battle with colon cancer during the legislative session.

Though the statewide program was not funded, the legislature designated $200,000 of Coal Severance funds to support colon cancer prevention efforts in four rural, eastern Kentucky counties with high incidence and mortality rates.

Colon cancer is the third most commonly occuring cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Kentucky and the United States as a whole. Data from the Kentucky Cancer Registry shows that each year approximately 2,750 new colon cancer cases are diagnosed and over 900 people will lose their battle with this disease. Please join us in the fight to change this!

Here's the 2011-2012 proposed legislation, which would allocate funding to the state screening program: 

http://www.coloncancerpreventionproject.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43&Itemid=1