The American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (ACS NCCRT), founded in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has awarded Marshall the 2025 ACS NCCRT National Achievement Award in the “Health System” category for its outstanding efforts to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in the community.
“The call to increase colorectal cancer screening rates has never been more urgent than today, and we applaud our honorees who have stepped up to help save lives,” said Dr. Steven Itzkowitz, ACS NCCRT chair and gastroenterologist with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “We are proud of the work our honorees have done and will continue to do in the fight to reduce the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer and make progress toward our shared goal of increasing screening rates to 80% or higher.”
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer remains a significant concern, with an estimated 107,320 new cases of colon cancer and 46,950 cases of rectal cancer expected in 2025.
“This award is especially meaningful to me, as I personally experienced the loss of my dad to colorectal cancer,” said Rachel Peigh, Marshall’s Executive Director for Population Health. “His diagnosis came too late because of delayed screenings, so I’m deeply committed to ensuring that everyone in our community has access to timely preventive screenings. We’re extremely proud that Marshall’s screening rate now exceeds ACS NCCRT’s 80% goal. The more we can do to communicate the importance of early screening, the more lives we can impact.”
The ACS NCCRT National Achievement Award honors individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing initiatives that increase colorectal screening rates nationwide. The awards include one grand prize winner and four additional honorees, each receiving a monetary award to support continued screening efforts.
Marshall, a health system serving El Dorado County, has focused on engaging rural and vulnerable populations while prioritizing screenings for individuals aged 45-49. Over the past year, its overall colorectal cancer screening rate rose by 3.18% to 82.71%, while screening rates for the 45-49 age group increased by eight percentage points to 61.09%. Supported by a grant from Exact Sciences, Marshall employed a multifaceted approach, including community outreach, multilingual media campaigns, evidence-based provider education, enhanced outreach to vulnerable patients, and financial assistance programs to eliminate screening barriers.
To learn more about the ACS NCCRT, visit nccrt.org.