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, the National Cancer Institute estimates that there could be as many as 4,500 additional colorectal cancer deaths because of the drop in screening due to COVID-19; and,

WHEREAS, colorectal cancer is estimated to be the number one cause of death due to cancer for those ages twenty to forty-nine years old 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 a Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month during the month of March would provide 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 2022 as COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

Governor of Virginia

Proclamations