Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

WHEREAS, colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States among men and women combined; and

WHEREAS, colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented with timely screening, but one in three eligible Americans are not up to date on screening; and

WHEREAS, colorectal cancer is estimated to be the number one cause of cancer death for those age twenty to forty-nine by 2030; and

WHEREAS, Black Americans are 20% more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and about 40% more likely to die from the disease than other groups; and

WHEREAS, colorectal cancer is expected to account for 11% of cancer deaths among Hispanic men and 9% of cancer deaths for Hispanic women; and

WHEREAS, the national goal established by the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable is to strive to increase timely colorectal cancer screening rates to 80 percent in every community for all Americans eligible for screening; and

WHEREAS, observing Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month during the month of March provides a special opportunity to increase awareness and offer education on the importance of early detection and screening of colorectal cancer;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize March 2023, as COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.

Governor of Virginia

Proclamations