Changemakers from Fight CRC’s Catalyst State-By-State Advocacy Program Meet

December 20, 2021 • By Fight CRC

Advocacy Blog
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Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) brought together changemakers from the Catalyst State-By-State Advocacy Program in Springfield, Mo. on December 2, 2021. Members of this program gathered to share best practices for passing legislation, learn from each other’s successes and collaborate on future colorectal cancer (CRC) screening policy priorities.

 “When we launched this program, we thought it would mean we were in person a lot; we thought we were going to be in every state, doing action planning, going to state capitals and more,” said Molly McDonnell, Fight CRC’s Director of Advocacy. “COVID-19 had other plans for us, but we never could have imagined that we’d be able to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time, and particularly during such a difficult two years.”

The meeting celebrated the many victories to come from the Catalyst program within its first two years. Additionally, attendees discussed topics like:

  • The current state policy landscape 
  • Announcement of the new Catalyst grantees in New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and Virginia.
  • Special messages from CRC survivor Mary Ellen Goodwin, Majority Whip, Rhode Island State Senate, and stage III colon cancer survivor Yla Flores 
  • Statewide screening data from Arkansas presented by Craig Wilson, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI) 
  • Health equity and the importance of building genuine, long-term relationships in underserved communities through advocacy from Candace Henley, MPH, Founder & Chief Surviving Officer, Blue Hat Foundation.

The Fight CRC Catalyst State-by-State Advocacy Program will continue to meet virtually to accelerate progress toward turning aspirational colorectal cancer screening goals into reality by increasing access and reducing barriers to colorectal cancer screening. To learn more about the Catalyst Program visit FightCRC.org/advocacy.

The Catalyst State-by-State Advocacy Program is supported by Exact Sciences, Genentech, Bristol Myers Squibb and No-Shave November.