Blue Shield of California Promotes Early Screenings for Colorectal Cancer
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and the health plan hopes to improve survival rates with early screenings.
Stock.adobe.com
Blue Shield of California is marking Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month by promoting early screenings for the disease.1
In a press release, Dr. Scott Flinn, regional medical director for Provider Partnerships at Blue Shield of California explained, “March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month–the perfect time to take control of your health and make sure you're up to date on your screenings. Colorectal cancer can develop silently without symptoms for years – that's why routine screenings are so important. They can detect cancer early, when it's most treatable, or even help prevent it altogether."
He continued, “The best screening is the one you complete, so talk with your doctor about which one is best for you. If you've been putting off your screening, now is the time to schedule it. Early detection can save your life."
Blue Shield of California is promoting early screenings, which it says are the most effective way of preventing deaths from the disease. While the virus doesn’t always present with symptoms, some early warning signs include changes to bowel habits, blood in urine or stool, unexplained weight loss, and ongoing abdominal bloating or pain.
Early screening can greatly increase the survival rates among patients, so it’s important to get regular screenings. This includes procedures like colonoscopies, stool-based tests, and blood tests.
As a non-profit health plan, Blue Shield of California often takes active steps to help the residents of its home state. In January of this year, it announced a new corporate structure that was designed to help reduce healthcare costs in California.
As a part of this restructuring, Blue Cross announced that Lois Quam would serve as the health plan’s CEO.2 She is the first woman to do so.
In a press release issued at the time, Kristina Leslie, chair of the Blue Shield of California board of directors, said, “For her entire life, Lois has worked to make health care better and more affordable for people from all walks of life. Her leadership at the state, national and global levels to improve health care for everyone stood out to us as we selected the right leader for Blue Shield of California at this critical time."
In the same press release, Quam added, “I look forward to working with Californians and families across our state, along with physicians, hospitals, health systems, business leaders, and state officials to make California a model for health care.”
She continued, “I am focused on the challenges facing our members in every corner of our state who gather at their kitchen tables and wrestle with their health care decisions and whether they can afford them. As the only statewide nonprofit health plan, we can help make those conversations–and their lives–better.”
Sources
- March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month - Are You Up to Date on Your Screening? Blue Shield of California. March 10, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/march-is-colorectal-cancer-awareness-month---are-you-up-to-date-on-your-screening-302396591.html
- Lois Quam Named CEO of Blue Shield of California, First Woman CEO in Organization's 86-Year History. Blue Shield of California. January 8, 2025. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lois-quam-named-ceo-of-blue-shield-of-california-first-woman-ceo-in-organizations-86-year-history-302345624.html
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