To the Editor:

The Cancer Services Program would like to send out a big thank you to all who participated in “St. Lawrence County Goes Blue”. This was an exciting outreach event to promote Colorectal Cancer Awareness. Without all of your participation this would not have been a success.

First, we want to say thank you to all the County Employees for showing their support on March 4 by wearing blue and providing educational materials to the community at their work site. Second, we would like to recognize the speakers at the kick off event, Dr. Ben Handelsman, gastroenterologist from Claxton-Hepburn Hospital; Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush from the 122nd District; and Martha Ryan from the American Cancer Society. Their commitment to this cause is overwhelming.

We would also like to acknowledge the Canton Price Chopper for their generous donation of refreshments, and the Canton SeaComm for providing a monetary donation towards the raffle baskets.

Here in the North Country we are fortunate to have the support of all five of the local hospitals. Each hospital hosted a “Go Blue Day” event. The CSP staff was on site to provide education about colon cancer screening and enroll eligible people into the program. Another advocate of the Go Blue event is the Community Health Center of Northern NY, which is the only federally qualified Health Center in our County.

The support form Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, Clifton-Fine Medical Center, Community Health Center of Northern NY, EJ Noble Hospital and Massena Memorial Hospital was fantastic!

Colon cancer is Preventable, treatable and beatable, but you have to be screened. Learn your risk, talk to your doctor and get screened. Too many people in St. Lawrence County die from colon cancer and we can change that. If you have no health insurance and you are between the ages of 50 to 64 call the Cancer Services Program at 386-2325. We are here to help.

Kindra E. Cousineau, CHN

Program Coordinator

Cancer Services Program