Join a team of health professionals later this month for an educational “lunch and learn” to boost awareness about colorectal cancer.

Maria Parham Health invites the community to a lunchtime event next week to discuss the importance of getting screened for colorectal cancer, held in conjunction with National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

MPH Cancer Center Director Kimberly Smith and hospital social worker Hope Breedlove say the Lunch and Learn event on Tuesday, Mar. 28 will provide information in an informal setting.

Register to attend at https://www.mariaparham.com/events and then just show up at 12:30 for the hourlong program, which will be held in the classroom on the lower level of the hospital. Participants can either enter through the main hospital entrance or come through the cancer center entrance on the lower level. Call 252.438.1605 to learn more.

The program is a time “to sit down and talk about colorectal cancer,” Smith said. “What it looks like, how we prevent it, how we treat it if we need to.”

According to The American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States, excluding skin cancers. The cancer society estimates that in 2023, there will be 106,970 new cases of colon cancer, and 46,050 new cases of rectal cancer.

Breedlove said she is looking forward to sharing information about updated information about colonoscopies. “I’m really excited to be having this lunch and learn to get information out about screening guidelines,” she said. Early detection is key to successful outcomes with colorectal cancer, among so many other types of cancer.

A panel of Maria Parham health care providers will discuss the importance of early detection. The panelists include:

• Ashley Traversa, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, RN, a Duke Cancer Network nurse practitioner specializing in neuro-oncology;
• Colleen Truax, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, a family nurse practitioner specializing in gastrointestinal disorders;
• Crystal Kaplan, MSN, RN, AGACNP is a Duke Cancer Network nurse practitioner specializing in hematology/oncology.

Contact Maria Parham Health at 800.424.DOCS or visit MariaParham.com to schedule your colonoscopy today. For more information about colorectal cancer, visit https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon.

 

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