Colon cancer screening is getting easier this month.

During Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital is offering free at-home colorectal cancer screening tests to eligible community members.

Hospital officials say colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States when men and women are combined, according to the American Cancer Society.

Adults age 45 and older, or those with an immediate family member who has been diagnosed with colon cancer, are eligible to receive a free InSure ONE at-home screening test. Tests will be available March 1st through March 31st, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the outpatient registration desk at Good Shepherd Hospital, while supplies last. Completed tests must be returned by April 1st.

Hospital officials stress the test is simple to use and can help save lives through early detection, but note it is not a substitute for a colonoscopy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 90 percent of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer at an early stage survive at least five years. While overall death rates have declined due to increased screening, the American Cancer Society reports death rates among adults under 55 have been rising by about one percent per year since the mid-2000s.

For more information about the screening event, call 217-347-1858.