Bowel Cancer – How Rotarians can help reduce the death rate from this disease in their own communities.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The incidence of Bowel Cancer is now one in twenty one of the over 40 years age group.
• Annual Bowelscan testing is vital because 90% of cases can be cured with early detection.
• Bowel Cancer has few if any early warning symptoms.
• Bowel Cancer is second only to Skin Cancer as a social threat.
• 90 Australians die every week from Bowel Cancer; many more have to wear a colostomy bag.
• Rotary promotes a $ 6.00 kit to the public throughout March each year. It’s inexpensive thanks to Sullivan Nicolaides who analyse samples free of charge.
• The Federal Government has commenced a free national screening process. It is restricted however only to 55 and 65 year olds.
• The Terry White group want to support this project in their fifty one Qld pharmacies.

ROTARIANS - HOW CAN YOU HELP?

• Coordinating publicity in your local area to educate the public to become proactive when it comes to Bowel Cancer detection.
• Educate pharmacies throughout Queensland that this is a professionally worthy project for them to support.
• They can support by displaying Rotary provided Bowelscan material, and by selling $6.00 kits at cost.
• Organise Rotary clubs to work together where they share common media outlets.ie the four clubs in the Redlands jointly service all 28 pharmacies in the Redlands.
• Rotary clubs can coordinate the project locally by bringing together all the critical logistical ingredients ie. Publicity through local media, and use of a web site.
• Set up display material through local pharmacies.
• Distribution and control of kits on a sale or return basis through local pharmacies.
• Pick up and drop off of samples from local pharmacies to Sullivan Nicolaides centres for testing.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ROTARY?

Community Service
By proactively publicizing March as Bowelscan Month in your local area and educating the community in the benefits of purchasing, completing and returning kits, a considerable number of people can be directed toward life-saving medical attention that they would otherwise not have been aware was required until it becomes too late to save them.

The project also provides an opportunity for all pharmacies within a particular locality to take part in a single community service project of mutual interest with benefits to each pharmacy and the profession as a whole.

Publicity for Rotary
The promotional activity generated by publicizing this project in various local electronic and print media is positively beneficial in raising an awareness of the good work done by Rotary within local communities.  Where possible, good working relationships can be established with all media outlets within a club’s area resulting in editorial support as well as good concessions on advertising.  If this project was coordinated throughout all clubs in districts 9630 and 9600, extensive publicity could be forthcoming through the Courier Mail and various television channels.

Fund Raising
Kits are purchased for $2.00 and sold for $6.00. 25,000 kits sold throughout districts 9600 and 9630 would gross $100,000.00.

However, it all starts with YOUR club.

Further Information
For those wishing to learn more about the Bowelscan project or wish to purchase a kit but are unable to access a participating pharmacy, visit www.redlands-bowelscan.org.au for instructions on how to purchase a kit from the combined Redland Rotary Club’s Bowelscan Committee.