Trinity Health Michigan Joins American Cancer Society’s Get Screened Initiative

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Bobby Maldonado

248-858-6662


Bobby.Maldonado@stjoeshealth.org

Trinity Health Michigan Joins

American Cancer Society’s Get Screened Initiative


National effort looks to develop innovative

practices to increase screening and decrease cancer disparities

CANTON, Mich. (June 2, 2022) – Trinity Health Michigan announced that it has joined The American Cancer Society (ACS) to improve lung cancer screening rates as part of the national Get Screened initiative. This is the second year of the initiative and more than 150 institutions across the country are participating to drive quality improvement processes and interventions to deliver cancer screening appropriately, safely, and equitably.

“Detection and identification of lung cancer early on can have a tremendous impact on a patient’s prognosis and affords us the ability to intervene, before a cancer can spread,” said Kumari Adams, MD, medical director of Thoracic Oncology at Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor. “Many patients delayed their cancer screenings during the pandemic. We want to make sure they know it’s safe to get screened. Please get screened for lung cancer if you qualify. Doing so could save your life.”

While the world has focused on fighting COVID-19 for more than two years, cancer has not taken a break. Many Americans have continued to put preventative health measures, including cancer screenings on hold, resulting in later state diagnoses. In response, ACS created Get Screened Quality Improvement Projects to support health systems with quality improvement tools and evidence-based interventions to improve screening rates.

“Our partnership with Trinity Health Michigan is critical to addressing the significant gaps and delays in cancer screening,” said Kathy Goss, PhD, regional vice president of Cancer Control at the American Cancer Society. “Ultimately, our goal is to save more lives by both preventing cancer and detecting cancers earlier when they are easier to treat.”

Success for the Get Screened initiative includes minimizing the effects of the pandemic on breast, cervical, lung, and colorectal cancer screening; addressing disparities and reducing barriers to screening exacerbated by the pandemic; creating learning communities to foster best practice sharing; and executing long-lasting, sustainable, and meaningful processes.

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About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is on a mission to free the world from cancer. We invest in lifesaving research, provide 24/7 information and support, and work to ensure that individuals in every community have access to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. For more information, visit cancer.org.

About Trinity Health

Trinity Health is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 548-bed Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 497-bed Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed Trinity Health St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 66-bed Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed Chelsea Hospital. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,548 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers, employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. Trinity Health has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $115 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.