Saving lives through colorectal cancer screenings
Inspired by the work in New York City. Motivated by Kentucky’s No. 1 ranking in the nation for both colon cancer incidence and mortality, as no coincidence, its second to last ranking for colon cancer screening.
In 2007, The Colon Cancer Prevention Project decided to push forward a bill covering colon cancer screening and colonoscopy in Kentucky.
We were advised in order to engage at the governmental level. We needed to hire a lobbyist. We sought out a variety of different options, and we were given the name of Jason Baird. We had meetings subsequent to that, and we knew that he was our man.
Jason has been incredibly impactful on so many levels. I think one of the best investments we’ve ever made to save lives in Kentucky was hiring Jason Baird to help with the colon cancer prevention projects and serve as our government affairs specialist.
As part of that initial interaction, Jason suggested that we try to lay the groundwork for an even broader framework, which should include providing coverage for people who are uninsured and seeking funding to do so.
He also foresaw the incredible role of creating a statute-driven advisory committee that included all stakeholders across the state.
With his help and lots of work from advocates, we were able to essentially pass both of these bills. I have no doubt that Jason’s vision and this initial work had a huge impact on Kentucky’s statistical improvements in both screening, as well as reductions, and incidence and mortality.
With that incredible impact, we continue to work extremely closely with Jason, including identifying and parceling at packets of funding critically in Appalachia, engaging the interaction with Medicaid managed care organizations to elevate and prioritize colorectal cancer screening. We got behind and supported expansion of Medicaid in 2014.
In 2015, we won the first states in the nation to bill a colonoscopy screening with no out-of-pocket cost no matter what was found. Kentucky also is one of the first two states in the nation to redefine colonoscopy after a positive fecal test as a completion, colonoscopy or a completion of the screening event. Again, without any out-of-pocket cost.
We continue to do utilization services to make sure that we were able to obtain funding for the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program, which originally occurred in 2012. Jason had all the connections from top to bottom in the executive and legislative branches as well as across the political aisle.
He also was instrumental in supporting biomarker bill passage and the extension of practice rights to genetic counselors, which is especially important in this molecular diagnostic age of medicine.
In addition, Jason was also instrumental in identifying a regulatory process to implement the nation’s first pharmacy-based colorectal cancer screening protocol. We have since given instructions and information to six other states across the country about this exciting new way to democratize screening and deliver it where patients are, not where we want them to be.
I do want to note that during some of our leaner times over a 20-year career, Jason has, in fact donated, and or given us substantially reduced service costs again, highlighting his commitment to the cause.
Dr. Whitney Jones
Founder, Colon Cancer Prevention Project
This month, we’re saying thanks to the people who make our programs possible.
***From the Colon Cancer Prevention Project***
Today we thank our amazing prevention advocates in Frankfort!
Thanks to grant funding from Fight Colorectal Cancer, our lobbyist Jason Baird, Senator Ralph Alvarado, and Representative Melinda Gibbons Prunty were able to pass TWO bills in this year.
House Bill 108 and Senate Bill 16 updated our state screening program statutes and will help protect Medicaid coverage for colon cancer screening and genetic testing for years to come.
Thank you Jason, Sen. Ralph Alvarado and Rep. Melinda Gibbons Prunty! We can’t wait for more great work in 2022.