SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – Regional West Community Health, in partnership with the Scotts Bluff County Health Department, still has a limited supply of Fecal Occult Blood Tests (FOBT) to give away to Scotts Bluff County residents ages 50 to 75 and to any Nebraska resident with a close relative that has had colon cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of death from cancer. Colorectal cancer affects all racial and ethnic groups and is most often found in people ages 50 and older. There are often no signs or symptoms of colorectal cancer – that’s why it’s so important to get screened. When colorectal cancer is found early and treated, the five-year survival rate is 85 to 90 percent.

“Colon cancer screening can find colon cancer early when it is treatable and beatable. Please, get your screening done!” said Deb Keener, RN, Regional West Community Health.

Enrollment forms for FOBT home testing kits and information about colorectal cancer are available by contacting Keener at 308-630-1580 or by calling 308-436-6636. Additional information about the Nebraska Colon Cancer Screening Program through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is available from the Nebraska Colon Cancer Screening Program at 1-800-532-2227 or www.dhhs.ne.gov/crc.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 182-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 providers, and over 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.