MONTICELLO, Ark. – The Arkansas Cancer Coalition has awarded Mainline Health Systems, Inc. (MHSI) a $55,000 grant that will be used to reach patients around Southeast Arkansas, to remind them that it’s time for critical screenings that can lead to early detection and more successful treatment of some types of cancers.
To reach patients, MHSI will use the funds to support the quality improvement team in managing the outreach effort that will rely on text messaging technology integrated into its electronic medical records system to contact patients in the following three groups:
- Approximately 2,436 women between ages 23 and 64, who have not had a hysterectomy, and are due for cervical cancer screening.
- Approximately 1,683 women between ages 50 and 69 who are due for annual breast cancer screening.
- Approximately 3,621 men and women between ages 50 and 75 who have not had colon cancer screening.
The more than 7,700 patients are located in Bradley, Chicot, Cleveland, Ashley, Lincoln, and Drew counties. Text messages will notify the patients of the recommended screening and inform them how to schedule an appointment.
“This effort will support the Arkansas Cancer Coalition’s Arkansas Cancer Plan by helping to reduce the incidence of cancer through prevention”, said Jeni Barham, BSN, RN, Clinical Quality Officer. “We’re proud to be a grant recipient and look forward to playing a part in decreasing cancer rates through early detection and screenings, not just in Arkansas but in the nation and the world.”