Holt is nurse manager for clinical screening services for Montgomery County’s Cancer Crusade program, now entering its 10th year.
What is the Cancer Crusade?
The Cancer Crusade is a program where we do free screenings for colon
cancer, prostate cancer and oral cancer for people without insurance.
How many screenings have been performed in the last 10 years?
So far we have screened 3,766 people for colorectal cancer, 930 for prostate
cancer and have done 2,950 oral [screenings].
The results?
We found 16 with colon cancer, who were then able to get help with
treatment, 418 with precancerous polyps, 31 with prostate cancer, and 176
had abnormal oral signs. The work has been truly remarkable. These are
people who wouldn’t have been treated otherwise.
In light of the economy, are you noticing more people without health
insurance?
Most of our patients are immigrants, and it’s not like they don’t have jobs.
It’s just their jobs don’t offer insurance; so they can’t afford to pay for
[screenings] on their own. And that screening is just so important. As
screenings have gone up, death rates have plummeted.
Is it difficult to convince people to get tested?
I remember when we first started, we were going on the street corner and
begging people to get tested. They didn’t know about it, weren’t sure about
it. Now through outreach and education, they’re breaking down the doors to
get in.
At what age should people begin to get tested?
Most people should start at 50, or earlier if they have a family history
with cancer.
Did you think the program would last 10 years?
I didn’t expect it would last this long. Like I said, there was a point when
we couldn’t give screenings away. Now we have so many partners through
hospitals and in the community. It’s been tremendous.
— Brian Hughes
