New Orleans-based LCMC Health will launch a no-cost genetic screening initiative to help 100,000 adults identify inherited risks for certain cancers and heart disease.
The Uniquely You program, in collaboration with genomics company Helix, will allow participants to provide DNA samples at participating hospitals, clinics, and community locations, or through at-home cheek swab kits, according to an Oct. 22 system news release shared with Becker’s. Through the program, participants can learn whether they have genetic risk factors associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, Lynch syndrome and familial hypercholesterolemia, a condition that causes very high colesterol. Participants with a positive result will be offered genetic counseling at no cost to help them understand their results and next steps.
“For too long, healthcare has largely been built around treating disease once it appears. We have an opportunity to help change that,” Greg Feirn, CEO of LCMC Health, said in the release. “Through Uniquely You, we’re investing in the ability to understand risk earlier, giving patients and physicians more information to act on and build a healthcare system that becomes increasingly preventive and personalized.”
Genetic risks can go undetected through traditional care and family history alone, the release said. Helix Research Network found approximately 1 in 75 participants in its programs have received a positive result for one of these genetic conditions.
The program aims to screen 100,000 Louisiana adults over the next five years. Enrollment begins in early 2027, and results will be returned to participants’ electronic health records.
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