| Name | Mindy |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Kolin |
| Home Address | 979 E. 3rd Street Suite C-300 Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403 United States |
| Organization Name | Greater Chattanooga Colon Cancer Foundation |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | Executive Director |
| Organization Address | 979 E. 3rd Street Suite C-300 Chattanooga, TN 37403 |
| Website | https://gcccf.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 4237570737 |
| Alternate Phone Number | |
| Email Address | mindy@gcccf.org |
| Alternate Email Address | info@gcccf.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | Outreach and Awareness that screening colonoscopy and care is available for uninsured residents of Hamilton County |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | As of May 2021, the recommended age for initial screening for individuals without a family history or personal symptoms changed from 50 to 45. Studies are showing younger and younger individuals are impacted by colorectal cancer. The COVID-19 pandemic brought much of the GCCCF activities to a screeching halt, as health fairs and other in-person events were canceled. Additionally, the GCCCF transitioned, hiring a new executive director with extensive non-profit experience and a wealth of passion and community resources to help get GCCCF back up and running. African Americans are at a significantly greater risk for developing colorectal cancer, and studies are showing a younger demographic is also becoming a trend. We make a special effort to reach the African American community due the increased risk of colon cancer and low incidence of screening in this population and we continue to work with community partners and attend health fairs, but need to increase our visibility and reach. We’ve begun redesigning promotional materials and creating virtual/video educational tools to help continue to raise awareness across social media, newsletter, and other communication outlets. Our primary effort continues to be connecting underinsured and uninsured individuals with free screenings and care, and our new executive director will be actively recruiting more physicians to give their services to those in need. |
| Where would your project take place? | Hamilton County |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 25000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | February 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 1 year |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Increase in patients seen by Volunteers in Medicine and Project Access specific to screening colonoscopy and colorectal cancer care. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | All outreach and awareness campaigns are tracked in addition to reporting updates with partner organizations. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | More residents of Hamilton County would know there are free resources for screening colonoscopy, colon cancer care, in addition to education regarding colon health and partner programs. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | The GCCCF provides educational services to raise awareness about colorectal cancer. Additionally, the GCCCF refers individuals with insurance to local resources and Hamilton County residents who are under or uninsured to doctors who provide free screenings and care in hospitals to collaboration with Volunteers in Medicine and Project Access. We also have established partnerships with: Hamilton County Medical Society Galen Gastroenterology Diagnostic Pathology Services Academic Gastroenterology University Surgical Associates Erlanger Medical Center & associated hospitals and clinics CommonSpirit and CHI Memorial Hospital & associated hospitals and clinics HCA and Parkridge Medical Center & associated hospitals and clinics Clinica Medicos |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | As the pandemic grew, GCCCF realized we needed to look at other ways of getting the message out that “colonoscopies save lives.” Prior to the pandemic, we met with Q Strategies and revised our mission, vision, and strategic plan- knowing how we wanted to grow and the audiences we wanted to reach. Once the world began to shut down, so did GCCCF operations. We’ve seen many stories on the news about the decrease in routine screenings because of COVID-19 and we want to be a constant reminder about the importance of early detection. Colon cancer is preventable, beatable, and treatable. We are ramping up the work we do- and are rethinking the how. We’ve created an educational but fun video that patients will be able to access with a QR code. We’ve learned that the average wait time in a doctor’s office these days is 18 minutes and a GCCCF poster with the QR code will be posted in dozens of offices in our local hospitals linking patients to the video on the GCCCF website, giving them something to watch while waiting for their visit. The video showcases educational information about colon cancer, questions for patients to ask their doctor and recipe hacks to make snacks that are high in fiber. The cartoon style video was created using a paid version of Canva, which is a nominal yearly cost, as we do not have the funds to outsource this type of videography work. We will be looking to collaborate with local college students or media resources to help create a professionally curated experience as this initiative grows. We are also creating more community partnerships for billboard and TV commercial space while developing a plan to recruit more physicians. We have not held our only major fundraiser, the Rump Run, since 2019 due to the pandemic. The date is secured for 2022 and we are already making alternate plans including a virtual option should the spike in COVID continue and mandates change again. This event is critical to generating funds for our small organization but also to bring together survivors, community partners, and the public. As we look forward, we know we have many opportunities for growth and are already looking at donor databases to help GCCCF cultivate relationships and provide a higher level of communication with those who support our mission; website redesign and rebranding to meet the needs of our community, and outreach efforts to physicians and the public. The GCCCF has many opportunities to develop a larger support network of donors- both corporate and individual support. Additionally, we still strive to offer a developed support system for patients, survivors, and family members. We are just now starting to work from our five-year plan that was meant to begin in 2020. |