Passavant Area Hospital and the Mia Ware Foundation urge you to “get your rear in gear” and pick up a colorectal cancer screening kit later this month.

The free kits will be available Thursday, March 21, from 4 to 6 p.m. and Friday, March 22, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the circle drive at the main entrance to Passavant, 1600 W. Walnut. Individuals should simply drive up, fill out a short questionnaire, talk to a nurse, and then complete the kit at home. The kit is then returned via a postage-paid envelope, with test results sent by mail in three to four weeks.

The screening kits require only one stool sample. They use the fecal immunochemical test screening method for hemoglobin in the stool. The test is considered the standard for early detection of blood in the stool, one of the early warning signs of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., but if detected early, 90 percent of those deaths are preventable.