Colon cancer screening made easy via Center for Healthy Living’s Cologuard campaign

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which is a great time to encourage people to take advantage of lifesaving screening options for colon cancer (also referred to as colorectal cancer). As a reminder, the Center for Healthy Living (CHL) on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus – in conjunction with Cologuard and Exact Sciences – is offering Cologuard, a noninvasive stool-based test that detects blood and abnormal DNA associated with colon cancer and pre-cancer.

To use Cologuard via CHL, individuals do not have to be established patients with providers at CHL. 

“Human Resources – Benefits and the CHL are committed to helping make colon cancer screening easy and accessible to Purdue employees,” says Candace Shaffer, senior director of benefits in Human Resources. “Our continued collaboration with Cologuard allows us to fulfill that commitment and also provides us the opportunity to offer an additional preventive screening to our population. We would very much like to see an increase in the percentage of employees on the West Lafayette campus who are 50 years and older have some type of colon cancer screening (colonoscopy, fecal occulant test or Cologuard)."

Covered by Purdue’s health plans, Cologuard screening supports the financial wellness pillar and the physical health pillar of the Healthy Boiler Program, and is open to all qualifying benefits-eligible Purdue employees on the West Lafayette, Fort Wayne and Northwest campuses and spouses covered on a Purdue health plan.

Keep in mind, however, that Cologuard is not intended for high-risk individuals; therefore, the first step in the process is for employees and covered spouses to complete a pre-screening questionnaire on the Healthy Boiler Portal. Following the questionnaire completion and submission via the portal, there are only a few more steps:

• CHL staff will reach out following questionnaire completion to schedule an appointment.
• After the appointment at CHL, the Cologuard kit will be delivered to the patient’s home.
• The patient completes and returns the Cologuard kit to Cologuard/Exact Sciences in a prepaid envelope via U.S. mail.
• Results will be delivered to CHL.
• CHL staff will schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss results and next steps.

“Screening is the best way to prevent colon cancer,” Shaffer says. “And we hope that our Purdue community will take advantage of this campaign to learn where they stand in regard to their colon health. CHL staff members will address any questions or concerns employees might have, including helping those who don’t fit the Cologuard screening requirements to find other options as well as helping those who do utilize Cologuard to plan for what’s next based on their results.”

For more information, visit the Screening for colon cancer with Cologuard webpage or call CHL at 765-494-0111.