Ramanathan Raju, MD, president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, has made a pledge to help the organization reach 80 percent screening rates for colorectal cancer by 2018, a shared goal of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable.
Currently, the health system's colorectal cancer screening rate for patients is 75 percent, which is still considerably higher than the national average of 64 percent.
According to Dr. Raju, the pledge to boost colon cancer screening rates aligns with the goals of the organization.
"Our aggressive screening efforts have already been successful in reducing colorectal screening disparities among ethnic groups and eliminating barriers to care," said Dr. Raju. "Our essential health system has made cancer screening and prevention a priority by offering affordable colonoscopies and other screening tests to all New Yorkers, regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status."
To learn more about the NCCRT pledge, click here.
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