Free colorectal screening offered

Free colorectal cancer screening for adults with minimal or no health insurance is available through Shands at the University of Florida.

The program will provide a limited number of free colonoscopies for low-income men and women age 50 to 64 with an average risk of colorectal cancer. Services are available to eligible patients who reside in Alachua and Putnam counties.

UF physicians and Shands at UF will provide any necessary follow-up care at no cost to the patient.

The program is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Department of Health and Shands at UF. Thom George, M.D., director of UF’s Gastrointestinal Oncology Program and member of the UF Shands Cancer Center, is the program director. For more information regarding program eligibility, contact Terri Flagg at the Putnam County Health Department, 386-326-3200.