WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States among men and women combined; and

WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented with timely screening, but one in three eligible Americans are not up to date on screening; and

WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is estimated to be the number one cancer killer for those persons between 20 and 49 years of age by 2030; and

WHEREAS, Black Americans are 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and about 40 percent more likely to die from the disease than other groups; and

WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is expected to account for 11 percent of cancer deaths among Hispanic men and 9 percent of cancer deaths among Hispanic women; and

WHEREAS, In 2023, there were approximately 153,020 new cases of, and 52,550 deaths from, colorectal cancer; and

WHEREAS, The national goal established by the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable is to strive to increase timely colorectal cancer screening rates to 80 percent in every community for all Americans eligible for screening; and

WHEREAS, Observing a Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month during the month of March would provide a special opportunity to increase awareness and offer education on the importance of early detection and screening of colorectal cancer; now, therefore, be it