Reply March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and Franciscan Health is joining others in urging patients to schedule the screenings that they may have delayed due to the pandemic. According to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, colon cancer screenings dropped roughly 90 percent and diagnoses fell by 32 percent at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Epic Health Research Network estimated 95,000 missed screenings in the U.S. during the three months from mid-March to mid-June 2020. The missed screenings mean precious time lost for treatment. Studies show more than 60 percent of colon cancer deaths could be prevented with screening. The American Cancer Society guidelines recommend screenings starting at age 45. In 2020, a new Indiana law required insurance companies to cover colonoscopies at age 45 instead of the previously recommended 50.