March 8, 2018
The new and expanded endoscopy suite at St. Peter’s Health opened to patients on Monday, February 19, 2018. The endoscopy suite will increase the community’s access to colonoscopies, lifesaving screenings, and reduce patient wait times. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related death in Montana for both men and women. Increased access to screening and early detection can reduce mortality rates by up to 60 percent.
Currently, St. Peter’s Health providers perform 21 endoscopy procedures on average every day, completing 4,400 annually. The over $2 million investment in the new suite will allow St. Peter’s Health to complete approximately 2,000 more colonoscopies every year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all adults at the age of 50 receive a screening, and most individuals with normal results will repeat the screening every ten years. However, as of 2016, only 66 percent of adults between the ages of 50 and 75 in St. Peter’s Health five-county service area had an appropriate colorectal cancer screening. In the same year, Montana ranked 49th in the nation for colorectal cancer screening among adults age 50 and over.
The new suite includes a 10-bay admission and recovery area as well as five new dedicated endoscopy exam rooms. The construction of the suite was made possible in part by the generous support of individuals and businesses in the Greater Helena community thanks to donations to the St. Peter’s Health Foundation.
To learn more about the importance of colon health, visit https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/index.htm.
St. Peter’s Health
St. Peter’s Health is a system of health care services including a 123-bed acute care hospital, physician clinics, cancer treatment center, behavioral health unit, urgent care clinics, home health and hospice care, dialysis center and ambulance services. St. Peter’s Health serves the Helena region and southwest Montana counties of Lewis and Clark, Broadwater, Jefferson, Meagher and Powell, with a combined population of approximately 97,000 residents. The mission of St. Peter’s Health is to partner with patients and the community to provide exceptional and compassionate health care. For more information, visit sphealth.org.