Morristown, N.J.-based Atlantic Health System is taking part in the American Cancer Society's national initiative to fight colorectal cancer.
The organization's "80% by 2018" campaign urges participating health organizations to achieve an 80 percent screening rate for colorectal cancer by 2018.
AHS officials plan to work with local community organizations to increase residents' access to screening and to raise awareness about the importance of regular screening.
The national percentage of adults aged 50-years and older who receive regular screenings was 65 percent in 2010. The rate of colorectal cancer in individuals younger than age 50 has increased 22 percent from 2000 to 2013, according to the American Cancer Society.
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women. The organization estimates 95,520 new cases of colon cancer and 39,910 cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2017.