Kaylan Dix accepted the 2018 Innovator of the Year Award for Sawtooth Mountain Clinic’s work toward increasing colorectal cancer screening. Photo courtesy of Sawtooth Mountain Clinic
Sawtooth Mountain Clinic has been nominated and then awarded the 2018 Innovator of the Year Award for its work toward increasing colorectal cancer screening rates.
The award is a joint recognition from the Colon Cancer Coalition (a national nonprofit aimed at promoting colorectal cancer screening awareness within communities), the American Cancer Society, and the Minnesota Department of Health.
According to the American Cancer Society, in 2017 colon cancer was the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. And the American Cancer Society recommends that men and women over the age of 50 should be screened for colon cancer.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, “Screening tests help find precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) so they can be removed before they have a chance to turn into cancer. This prevents colorectal cancer. Screening also can find this cancer early, when treatment is most effective. However, about one-third of adults aged 50 or older (about 22 million people)—the age group at greatest risk of developing colorectal cancer—have not been screened as recommended.”
Accepting the award on behalf of Sawtooth Mountain Clinic was RN Kaylan Dix. It was presented at a Colon Cancer Coalition reception at Como Park and Conservatory in St. Paul.
“The event honored survivors, caregivers and organizations focused in colorectal cancer screening efforts,” said Dix. “The clinic asked me to accept the award on its behalf, as last summer I helped to lead efforts in implementing a program that included an original patient education video, community outreach, and patient reminders aimed at increasing screening rates and overall awareness in colorectal cancer.
“The team at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic worked extremely hard in implementing and sustaining project activities and are very deserving of this award. I cannot thank the team at Sawtooth enough for their hard work, dedication to the community, and their willingness to take me on as a student working on my doctorate in nursing (DNP) scholarship project.”
Funding for the project was provided by a grant that was awarded by the Minnesota Nurses Association Foundation last year.
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