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

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

To utilize the Cologuard screening via the Center for Healthy Living, individuals do not have to be established patients with providers at the center. 

Colorectal screening rates for Purdue employees have increased from 50% in 2021 to 61% in 2023. 

“Human Resources – Benefits and the CHL are committed to helping make colon cancer screening easy and accessible to Purdue employees,” said 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 45 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 – as well as 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, though, that Cologuard is not intended for high-risk individuals; therefore, the first step in the process is for employees and/or covered spouses to complete a prescreening questionnaire on the Healthy Boiler Portal. Following the completion of the questionnaire and submission via the portal, there are a few more steps:

• Center for Healthy Living staff will do outreach following questionnaire completion to schedule an appointment.
• After the appointment at the 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 the 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 said. “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 find other options as well as helping those who do utilize Cologuard plan for what’s next based on their results.” 

For more information, visit the “Screening for colon cancer with Cologuard” webpage or the Cologuard webpage, or call the Center for Healthy Living at 765-494-0111.