Congratulations to the 2024 80% In Every Community National Achievement Awardees!
The American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (ACS NCCRT) has awarded five organizations the 2024 80% In Every Community National Achievement Award. Two of the five recipients are in North Dakota:
Mikisha Longie in Belcourt, North Dakota (Category: Survivor Champion)
Mikisha Longie is a colorectal cancer (CRC) survivor, public health nurse at the Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility of the Indian Health Service (IHS), and champion for CRC screening as a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Reservation. Her insistence on using data to drive decision making revealed a significant regression in CRC screening within the clinic post-COVID-19. To address this, Mikisha has worked to spearhead collaborative efforts between public health, tribal health educators, and the IHS clinics in her community. Strategies she has championed include patient education in multiple venues and forms, patient navigation, standing orders for average risk patients, and electronic health record (EHR)improvements, such as building a provider assessment report to review at monthly meetings. From February to August2023, the clinic achieved a 42.8%improvement in CRC screening rates largely attributable to Mikisha’s work. Mikisha is most proud that her team’s efforts are making a difference in their community screening rates.
Unity Medical Center in Grafton and Park River, North Dakota (Category: Health System)
Unity Medical Center is a nonprofit critical access hospital with primary care clinics in Grafton and Park River, North Dakota, serving 20,000 people in Walsh County and the surrounding mainly rural areas. In October of 2022, Unity Medical Center developed an ambitious action plan to improve their colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates from a baseline of 41% to 70% by December 2023. Their plan employed evidence-based interventions such as provider and patient reminders, patient education, internal policy change, standing orders, electronic health record (EHR)data and reporting, and improved provider recommendations to patients. Unity Medical Center also participated actively in the North Dakota CRC Roundtable through their provider champion, Dr. Jared Marquardt, the state roundtable chair. As of December 2023, their CRC screening rates have risen to 69% and are still rising. They are most proud of the huge amount of buy in from the staff, who are enjoying their innovative techniques to reach the community by focusing on their patients and unique partners
Read more about this achievement award and the other awardees on the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable website:
https://nccrt.org/2024-80-in-every-community-national-awardees-announced/