Exact Sciences provided the Kentucky Department for Public Health a grant for 1,000 Cologuard kits, the department announced Jan. 20.
The tests are available to residents in the state through the Kentucky Colon Cancer Screening Program.
The state made increasing colon cancer screening a priority in 2008. Since then, colon cancer-related mortality has fallen 33 percent, and colon cancer incidence rates have fallen 30 percent.
Whitney Jones, MD, chair of the state's screening program advisory committee, said the grant was "a milestone in our vision for innovation, acceleration and most importantly, implementation of evidence-based platforms for colon cancer prevention and control."