Cycles of Impact

Cycles of Impact
learn more about the partnership

topic tags

Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Access to Care

status

Intervention phase

about

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. In Philadelphia, non-Hispanic Black individuals face the highest rates of colorectal cancer mortality compared to other racial/ethnic groups.

Cycles of Impact (COI) — a partnership between IBX, AHE, Penn Medicine, and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (CCA) formed in 2022 — is designed to address inequities by driving 5,000 completed screenings for colorectal cancer in Black individuals ages 45 to 75 in Philadelphia by distributing FIT Kits (Fecal Immunochemical Tests) which are screening tests for colon cancer that can be done at home. This initiative provides patients with a full suite of wrap-around treatment and support services, in addition to supporting community partnerships, leading awareness campaigns, conducting research and evaluations, and providing colonoscopy referrals and wrap-around services.


Most recently, the campaign partnered with Blake Gastroenterology Associates, LLC, Gaudenzia Addiction Treatment & Recovery Services, and the Penn Medicine Population Health team to expand the campaign’s reach in neighborhoods across Philadelphia.

impact

As of the Fall of 2024, the campaign has provided testing and support at dozens of community events and
seen notable engagement from participants:

looking ahead

As screenings and support services continue, the research arm of this initiative will use the data collected to evaluate the effectiveness of awareness campaigns in impacting screening behavior, changes in screening completion rates for Black populations in Philadelphia, the difference in screening completion rates among Black populations by insurance type, ZIP code, navigation modality, and time to colonoscopy after a positive screening. Through this research, the initiative hopes to better understand barriers to screening and find new ways to meet the needs of communities to help identify and treat colorectal cancer.

partners