With March being Colon Cancer Awareness Month, free colon cancer screenings are available at CentraCare – Redwood and other CentraCare facilities until March 31.

Colon and rectal cancer are a leading cause of cancer death for men and women despite being one of the most preventable forms of cancer if treated early. Regular screening should start at age 45 or sooner with if there’s a family history of cancer or other risk factors. Approximately 70 percent of people with colorectal cancer have no family history.

From March 1 to May 31, people who are age 45 or older can receive a free immunochemical fecal occult blood test (iFOBT) Take-Home Colon Screening kit.

Pick-up sites:

  • Baxter Clinic Registration Desk
  • Benson Hospital Registration Desk
  • Coborn Healing Center at CentraCare Plaza, St. Cloud
  • Eden Valley Clinic Laboratory
  • Long Prairie Clinic Registration Desk
  • Monticello Specialty Clinic (2nd Floor)
  • Paynesville Laboratory
  • Redwood Registration Desk
  • Richmond Clinic Laboratory
  • Sauk Centre Hospital Registration Desk
  • St. Cloud Hospital Pharmacy Drive-up Window
  • Willmar Cancer Center

Kits are limited and you must be present to pick up your kit. The iFOBT screening does not replace a colonoscopy, which is the best method to detect colorectal cancer. To schedule a colonoscopy, please contact your doctor.

For more information, visit centracare.com.