ST. CLOUD -- March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and a central Minnesota healthcare provider is offering free screening opportunities.

This month, CentraCare is giving away a limited number of free take-home colon screening kits to people age 45 and up.

Health officials say even though they are often preventable or treatable, colon and rectal cancers are among the leading causes of cancer deaths in both men and women, and about 70 percent of people diagnosed have no family history.

To request a kit, all you need to do is fill out a consent form and drop it off at the CentraCare Pharmacy at St. Cloud Hospital or Coborn Healing Center.

Kits can be picked up at the drive-up window at St. Cloud Hospital, the information desk at Long Prairie Clinic, and at registration at the Baxter Specialty Clinic. You can also call 320-229-5100 to schedule a pick-up at the Coborn Healing Center.

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