According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer will cause more than 51,000 deaths in 2019. What’s even more astounding: more than 60 percent of colorectal cancer deaths could be avoided with preventative screening.
March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Care New England (CNE) wants to break the silence about colon cancer and invites the community to "stroll through a colon.” In an effort to increase awareness and encourage others to participate in preventative screenings, Kent Hospital will be hosting the Care New England Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Event which will feature the Strollin’ Colon. The event will be held on Thursday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kent Hospital, 455 Toll Gate Road, Warwick.
The Strollin’ Colon, standing at 12 feet wide and 10 feet tall, will serve as an interactive educational tool to the public. CNE practitioners will be on-hand to guide visitors through the colon, provide risk assessment on colon cancer, and offer education on colon health and prevention of colon cancer. This event is open to the public and planned under the leadership of Women & Infants Hospital’s Christy Dibble, DO, director of Women & Infants Center for Women’s Gastrointestinal Health and Melissa Murphy, MD, MPH, assistant chief of surgery and surgical director of quality and operations at Kent Hospital, and gastrointestinal and general surgeon at Women & Infants and Brigham and Women’s hospitals.
Kent Hospital, a Care New England Hospital, is a 359-bed, acute care hospital. It is Rhode Island’s second largest hospital, serving approximately 300,000 residents of central Rhode Island.
A teaching affiliate of The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kent offers programs in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and an Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship. Kent’s redesigned Emergency Department (ED) sees approximately 70,000 patients a year and ranks Kent’s ED volume among the top 10-percent nationally. It was the first hospital in the state to eliminate the practice of ambulance diversion.