OGDENSBURG -- Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center is joining the National Dress in Blue Day colon cancer awareness movement Friday, March 3.

According to the Colon Cancer Alliance, colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women combined in the United States.

The American Cancer Society estimates that this year 136,830 people will be diagnosed and 50,310 will die from this disease.

“We want to make a difference in the lives of our employees, their families, and their friends. Our Dress in Blue Day encourages employees to talk to loved ones about colon cancer and the importance of being screened. By creating more awareness around this disease, we will save lives,” said Michele P. Catlin, community outreach coordinator at Claxton-Hepburn.

“It’s important that we do our part to help create a future free of colon cancer,” said Kay Zimmer, director at the Richard E. Winter Cancer Center. “With regular screening, colorectal cancer is one of the more easily detected and treatable cancers. If caught early, colorectal cancer has a 90 percent survival rate.”

Throughout the month of March, a colon cancer informational display will be in the Medical Center’s main lobby and the Cornerstone Café.

Employees and visitors will be asked to sign a large pledge board, created by the American Cancer Society to promote its 80% by 2018 (80% of eligible people will have gotten their screening colonoscopy by 2018) initiative.

The Medical Center will also promote its free colonoscopy program for uninsured.

National Dress in Blue Day is held on the first Friday in March in communities and offices throughout the nation. The Colon Cancer Alliance first launched the Dress in Blue Day program in 2009 to bring nationwide attention to colon cancer and to celebrate the courage of those affected by this disease.

Today, individuals, businesses and community groups across the country participate by wearing blue and urging others to do the same. Blue is the nationally recognized color for colon cancer.

For more information about Claxton-Hepburn visit them on Facebook or on the web at www.claxtonhepburn.org.