HSHS Proud to Join ACS at State Capitol Press Conference
November 08, 2024
Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) on Wednesday, Nov. 6 joined the American Cancer Society (ACS) and NFL alumni linebacker Chris Draft at a state Capitol press conference urging Illinois residents to get off the sidelines during National Lung Cancer Awareness Month and schedule an appointment for a lung cancer screening.
Joe Johnson, MLS (ASCP)cm, CIC, HSHS Cancer Committee Member and St. John’s Hospital Quality Improvement Specialist, noted the cancer programs at HSHS St. John’s and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, in O’Fallon, Ill., are both accredited by the Commission on Cancer, a program of the American College of Surgeons. In addition, HSHS ministries across Illinois offer a wide variety of cancer treatment services, support programs and educational activities.
“What that means is not just that we bring the newest technologies and treatments to battle cancer, but it also shows our dedication to expand the community conversation for the betterment of its overall health through education and awareness projects,” Johnson told the crowd gathered outside at the Abraham Lincoln statue on the east side of the Capitol.
HSHS is part of ACS’ Illinois Lung Cancer Roundtable, a statewide effort to boost lung cancer screenings beyond the 6% national rate of eligible adults – individuals aged 50-80 years old without lung cancer screenings who are active smokers or former smokers who smoked at least a pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years. Screening rates for colorectal cancer and breast cancer stand at 70% and 80%, respectively.
“Lung cancer CT screenings are quick, painless and non-invasive,” Johnson said, “Just a one-minute scan could save your or a loved one’s life.”
More people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other form of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We are grateful for the collaboration, expertise and passion for ending lung cancer as we know it in Illinois,” said Kaitlyn Keen, ACS Associate Director of Cancer Center Partnerships. “We are here today to pave the way forward.”
That path to success lies in teamwork, said Chris Draft, a retired linebacker who played for the Chicago Bears, the then-St. Louis Rams and other teams during his 12-year NFL career. He personally encountered lung cancer when his girlfriend and future wife Keasha Rutledge was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2010 at the age of thirty-seven after experiencing shortness of breath. A non-smoker, Keasha died a year later, one month after she and Draft married.
Draft acknowledged progress has been made against the disease since his wife’s passing but noted “we have not arrived. If we want things to change, we have to do our jobs in the community at the highest level.”
Caption: Joe Johnson, MLS (ASCP)cm, CIC, HSHS Cancer Committee Member and St. John’s Hospital Quality Improvement Specialist, joined NFL alumni Chris Draft and the American Cancer Society at the Illinois Capitol on Wednesday, Nov. 6, to highlight the importance of early detection of lung cancer through screenings in order to save lives.
Joe Johnson, MLS (ASCP)cm, CIC, HSHS Cancer Committee Member and St. John’s Hospital Quality Improvement Specialist, noted the cancer programs at HSHS St. John’s and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, in O’Fallon, Ill., are both accredited by the Commission on Cancer, a program of the American College of Surgeons. In addition, HSHS ministries across Illinois offer a wide variety of cancer treatment services, support programs and educational activities.
“What that means is not just that we bring the newest technologies and treatments to battle cancer, but it also shows our dedication to expand the community conversation for the betterment of its overall health through education and awareness projects,” Johnson told the crowd gathered outside at the Abraham Lincoln statue on the east side of the Capitol.
HSHS is part of ACS’ Illinois Lung Cancer Roundtable, a statewide effort to boost lung cancer screenings beyond the 6% national rate of eligible adults – individuals aged 50-80 years old without lung cancer screenings who are active smokers or former smokers who smoked at least a pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years. Screening rates for colorectal cancer and breast cancer stand at 70% and 80%, respectively.
“Lung cancer CT screenings are quick, painless and non-invasive,” Johnson said, “Just a one-minute scan could save your or a loved one’s life.”
More people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other form of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We are grateful for the collaboration, expertise and passion for ending lung cancer as we know it in Illinois,” said Kaitlyn Keen, ACS Associate Director of Cancer Center Partnerships. “We are here today to pave the way forward.”
That path to success lies in teamwork, said Chris Draft, a retired linebacker who played for the Chicago Bears, the then-St. Louis Rams and other teams during his 12-year NFL career. He personally encountered lung cancer when his girlfriend and future wife Keasha Rutledge was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2010 at the age of thirty-seven after experiencing shortness of breath. A non-smoker, Keasha died a year later, one month after she and Draft married.
Draft acknowledged progress has been made against the disease since his wife’s passing but noted “we have not arrived. If we want things to change, we have to do our jobs in the community at the highest level.”
Caption: Joe Johnson, MLS (ASCP)cm, CIC, HSHS Cancer Committee Member and St. John’s Hospital Quality Improvement Specialist, joined NFL alumni Chris Draft and the American Cancer Society at the Illinois Capitol on Wednesday, Nov. 6, to highlight the importance of early detection of lung cancer through screenings in order to save lives.
Media Contact
Kelly Barbeau
System Director, Communications & Public Relations