When weekdays aren’t convenient, we’ve got you covered
Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health, is determined to make care more convenient for patients – especially in the case of lifesaving screenings. That’s why we are offering colonoscopies one Saturday each month at Monroe Endoscopy Center.
To emphasize the importance of these screenings, clinicians at LVHN chose to make it easier for patients and healthcare workers to fit colonoscopies into their schedules. The intent is to eliminate the “not-always-easy” factor that causes people to put them off.
Anna McKay, 50, who took advantage of Saturday screenings, said it was a great experience all around. Mostly, she says, because the clinicians and nurses were “so friendly and nice.”
“The Saturday appointment was just perfect. The team explained everything. You could tell they really cared about the patients,” McKay says. “If it had been on a weekday, my husband would have had to take off work to pick me up and would not have gotten paid.”
Primary care physician Stacey Smith, MD, with LVPG Internal Medicine–3080 Hamilton Blvd., Allentown, was seven years overdue when he had his colonoscopy on a Saturday. “It was the convenience that made it possible for me to get caught up,” he says. “Everything was very simple and quick, with zero discomfort.”
Colon cancer is unique in that it usually begins with precancerous polyps, and these can be removed during a colonoscopy. Therefore, screenings are preventive tools, highlighting their importance.
“Other common cancers like those of the lung, breast, prostate or pancreas do not have an identifiable precancerous stage that can be addressed to prevent the cancer from occurring in the first place,” says Anthony Auteri, MD, Chief, LVPG Gastroenterology with LVHN, who practices at a number of locations including Monroe Endoscopy Center. “Because colon cancers almost always start as benign polyps that grow for many years before turning cancerous, colonoscopy and removal of polyps can actually prevent colon cancer.”
Schedule your Saturday screening by calling 570-314-9401.
