Rangeley Health and Wellness has received a two-year grant of $80,000. The nonprofit healthcare center was one of eight across the state chosen by the Maine Cancer Foundation to receive part of $494,000 to expand cancer screenings.

Director Jennifer McCormack said the funding will go toward community outreach, teaching about the process and why it’s necessary, and connecting individuals with healthcare providers to run tests.

“I have done a lot of cancer prevention outreach in communities, and this area — really rural areas — are at a disadvantage in terms of early detection,” McCormack said.

Rates of screenings across the state are lowest in areas such as western Maine, where the nearest hospital can sometimes be over an hour away for some. The grant seeks to increase cancer awareness in one of the most medically isolated, and aging, parts of the state. McCormack said that because the population in areas like Rangeley leans older, there are likely more people due for a screening or have never had one.

“Screening for cancer is one of the most powerful tools that individuals have to either prevent cancer or to catch it early,” she said.

The nonprofit’s outreach focuses on education and fitness classes. Once a week, a community health worker visits surrounding towns to perform checkups and lead health and fitness classes. They stop at the Shadagee Apartments in Phillips, the community center in Stratton and at the library in Carrabassett Valley.

“We’re trying to reach out to people, not just in Rangeley, but the surrounding areas,” McCormack said.

People over the age of 45 are eligible for colon cancer screening, she said, while anyone with a history of smoking or current smokers are eligible for a lung cancer screening. Screenings will follow the U.S Preventative Service Task Force guidelines.

The grant does not pay for screenings, but rather the outreach. Rangeley Health and Wellness works with individuals to find a healthcare provider that is the best fit to run tests.

Through Rangeley Health and Wellness’s outreach, individuals have already gotten screened, received treatment for cancer they didn’t know they had and recovered. McCormack said those looking for more information about the process can reach out to Terry Kelly at Rangeley Health and Wellness.

“Cancer is all around us,” McCormack said. “Whatever we can do to help people get the screenings that they need is why we applied for the grant.”

Supporting Sponsor for Franklin Journal, Livermore Falls Advertiser, Rangeley Highlander and Rumford Falls Times.
Keeping communities informed by supporting local news. franklinsavings.bank