Kentucky’s CRC Policy Story Webinar

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Kentucky was one of the first states in the US to pass major colorectal cancer (CRC) policy. Join us to listen to their story and learn what worked well for CRC state advocacy!

Watch the Webinar

View the Slides

Featured Speakers

Dr. Whitney Jones

Dr. Whitney Jones is a practicing Gastroenterologist, former therapeutic endoscopist and Clinical Professor at the University of Louisville from 1994 until  2017.

In 2003 he founded a 501C3, the Colon Cancer Prevention Project, a leading CRC information and advocacy organization focused on innovation and acceleration of evidence-based screening. Kentucky has since more than doubled its screening rates ( now 71%) and reduced colon cancer deaths by a third.

A major focus of the “Project” is advocacy through passing pragmatic state-based laws that lower barriers to access evidence-based CRC screening.

Currently, they include a funded state-based CRC screening program for the uninsured/underinsured, elimination the polyp loophole for screening colonoscopies and no cost-sharing for colonoscopy to evaluate a positive FIT or sDNA test.  In 2020, Kentucky will be the first state in the nation to mandate no cost-sharing coverage for preventative evidence-based genetic panel testing for hereditary cancers including Lynch Syndrome.

These laws have resulted in Kentucky having the lowest barriers for CRC screening in the nation.

Jason Baird

Jason Baird founded the Limestone Group and has been specializing in policy lobbying work since 2003 primarily at the state level.  He began lobbying for the Colon Cancer Prevention Project in 2008 and has led the effort in Kentucky to help pass more Colon Cancer Prevention legislation and law changes than any other state in the country.  Jason has shared the Kentucky Colon Cancer success story at the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable and has consulted and shared with many other states.  Due to the death of his grandfather to this preventable disease, the issues surrounding Colorectal Cancer are important to Jason and it has become a passion for him to break down policy barriers to its prevention.  Jason looks forward to sharing the Kentucky Success Story on how Kentucky has become the state with the fewest and smallest policy barriers to the prevention of Colon Cancer.