The Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department is handing out free colorectal cancer screening kits.

According to the county, 200 kits are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each kit comes with instructions and a QR code with a video guide.

Once a kit is returned, lab staff can process it in about 10 to 15 minutes. The department says it wants to close gaps in testing and help more people catch colorectal cancer early.

"In Hidalgo County we have a high incidence of individuals getting diagnosed with late-stage colorectal cancer," Amy Gonzalez, the department’s lead epidemiologist, said. "So about 22 people out of 100,000 people are getting diagnosed with colorectal cancer, with 60% of those cases being late-stage. This is highly preventable, and it is highly treatable if you're able to catch it early."

The program is funded through a $20,000 grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. It also offers help with transportation or local resources if someone is diagnosed with cancer.

Anyone in the Rio Grande Valley can call the department at 956-318-2426 to reserve a kit and pick it up in person.