Event will be held at Charles Hight Community Room and Courtyard
ROME, Ga., May 21, 2024 – Atrium Health Floyd will sponsor free colon and lung cancer screenings on Thursday, May 23, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Charles Hight Community Room and Courtyard off North Fifth Avenue behind Publix.
The event will be open to the public as well as residents of the Rome Housing Authority. There is no charge, registration is not required, and door prizes will be awarded.
The fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) that will be used in the colon screening will be provided by the Northwest Georgia Regional Cancer Coalition. Those tests are not as thorough as a colonoscopy, but require no preparation and can detect hidden blood in feces.
Colon cancer and lung cancer screenings are effective tools in the early detection and prevention of the potentially deadly illnesses.
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that adults age 45 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) says many of the risk factors for colon cancer can be lowered by better health choices, including:
- Eating less red meat
- Eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains
- Limiting your alcohol consumption
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that lung cancer is the third-most common cancer in the United States. More people in the U.S. die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. This is true for both men and women. The overwhelming majority of lung cancer cases are the result of cigarette smoking.
About 234,580 new cases of lung cancer (116,310 in men and 118,270 in women) are expected to be reported this year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Deaths from lung cancer are predicted at 125,070 nationwide – 65,790 in men and 59,280 in women.
Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., accounting for about 1 in 5 of all cancer deaths. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined, the ACS has reported.
For more information about Thursday's event call Dorian Buford at 706-509-5983.
About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd employs more than 3,500 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at three hospitals: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 304-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; as well as Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health – a freestanding 53-bed behavioral health facility in Rome – and also primary care and urgent care network locations throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.
About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, which was created from the combination with Advocate Aurora Health. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is its academic core. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association's Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing $2.8 billion last year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.