Michigan receives grant for cancer screenings

MICHIGAN — Officials are hoping a new grant will increase the number of Michigan residents getting screenings for colorectal cancer.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has received a 5–year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help increase screening rates from the current 72% to 80% by 2018. Michigan is one of thirty U.S. agencies that has received such funding to work with health systems within the state to modify their screening systems and policies.

Chief Medical Director for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Eden Wells says, “Unfortunately, colon cancer may not have symptoms, you may not know you have it. So we really are excited that our state was one of the recipients of this cancer control program grant, and that we can, hopefully, get all of our citizens out there screened, that need to be screened.”

Officials say adults should begin screening for the preventable and treatable disease at age 50, or even earlier if they have a family history of the disease.