AMSTERDAM — St. Mary’s Hospital of Amsterdam will coordinate cancer screening in three counties with a grant awarded by the state Health Department.

The hospital received $1.76 million to coordinate the Cancer Screening Services programs in Fulton, Montgomery and Schenectady counties, said Julie Pierce, community outreach supervisor at St. Mary’s.

The program in Schenectady County was formerly run by the YWCA.

YWCA Director of Development Sarah Erickson said the agency continues to provide similar services which are funded by foundation grants.

The Cancer Screening Services program gives people with no health insurance, or those with insurance who cannot afford co-pays, free testing in an effort to diagnose cancer in the early stages.

It focuses on screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers.

Screenings can take place in a patient’s home county and can be performed by the physician of their choice, Pierce said. St. Mary’s administers the program funding.

“It’s a program that doesn’t require tons and tons of paperwork and it’s very simple,” Pierce said.

People interested in getting a screening simply call a local phone number and provide basic information.

Screening rates in Fulton and Montgomery counties are low, Pierce said, a factor that indicates some cancers can be growing without early detection.

“The lesson is everybody should get the screening. If caught early, cancer is highly treatable these days,” Pierce said.

The program in earlier years served women by providing cervical and breast cancer screenings but it’s been expanded to serve men as well, with the addition of colorectal cancer screening, Pierce said.

With a new test, called an FIC test, screening for colorectal cancer is simple and private.

To perform the Fecal Immuno Chemistry test, Pierce said people simply swab their toilet bowl with a small brush they take home, package it up in a provided container and mail it in for testing.

The program goes beyond simply identifying cancer.

Pierce said if results come in positive and there’s a need for a biopsy or treatment, program organizers will enroll the patient in the state Medicaid Cancer Treatment program.

The program gives eligible people diagnosed with breast, cervical, colorectal or prostate cancer or pre-cancerous conditions full Medicaid coverage for the duration of treatment, according to information provided by Beth Goldberg, public affairs program manager at the state Health Department.

The initiative statewide is funded through federal and state money, according to the state Health Department.

The program costs the state about $18.6 million and $4.53 million more in federal money is provided for clinical services, according to the state.

People interested in getting a screening can learn more by calling St. Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam at 770-7516 or the Ellis Hospital McClellan Campus in Schenectady at 347-5760.