40 The QUEE NS Courier • wellness • SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com WELLNESS s COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING A PRIORITY FOR NEW GASTROENTEROLOGIST The endoscopy program at LIJ Forest Hills is growing and getting better thanks to proactive infection prevention measures and the addition of a new faculty gastroenterologist. Steven Guttman, MD, joined the gastroenterology and internal medicine staff at the hospital in July, after doing his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn. A graduate of Brooklyn College and the Sackler School of Medicine, Dr. Guttman has a special interest in colorectal cancer prevention. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Citywide, Queens has the second highest number of colorectal cancer incidences, according to the New York State Health Department. “As a community-based hospital, I want to bring awareness to the public about the importance of colorectal cancer screening,” said Dr. Guttman. Through routine screenings, doctors can find hidden growths, or polyps, in the colon and remove them using a long, flexible scope (colonoscope) before they become cancerous. “If we detect it early we can treat it before it becomes more serious,” he said. Despite being highly preventable, detectable and treatable, it is estimated that nearly 135,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and about 50,000 will die from it in 2016, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute. As a general gastroenterologist, Dr. Guttman performs several types of endoscopic procedures, including colonoscopy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), to diagnose and treat digestive tract issues. In 2015, there were 2,380 endoscopic procedures done at LIJ Forest Hills. Recently, ERCP procedures – which use a lighted, bendable scope (duodenoscope) inserted into a patient’s mouth and then their stomach and small intestine to examine the pancreas and liver – made nationwide headlines for infection-related deaths from scopes that were contaminated with harmful micro-organisms that remained even after cleaning and disinfecting. To make sure such scopes are disinfected thoroughly, LIJ Forest Hills was the first Northwell Health hospital in 2015 to implement video monitoring of the multi-step cleaning and high-level disinfection process using revised scope cleaning guidelines. This move predated the alarming news of ERCP contamination. Using cameras set up in the endoscopy suites, a third-party auditing company remotely scans in near real-time for any missed steps as the scopes are cleaned. Currently three Northwell Health hospitals are using video monitoring as oversight for their cleaning protocols, with plans to roll out the technology systemwide. Charles B. Wang Community Health Center Quality Health Care Closer to Home Services: Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, GYN, Social Work Services, Health Education 137-43 45th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11355 (929) 362-3006 We have expanded to a new facility near you! We are a nonprot and federally qualied community health center established in 1971. We are dedicated to providing high-quality and comprehensive primary health care for you and your family—regardless of your ability to pay. We accept most major health insurance. www.cbwchc.org Need health insurance? We can help. (212) 226-8339 (Manhattan) (718) 886-7355 (Queens) WE ARE BACK First Medical at 245-02 Horace Harding Expressway is open Dr. B. Fletcher Board Certified primary care physician provides medical services for Adults with: • Diabetes • Hypertension • Hyperlipidemia (elevated cholesterol) • Thyroid deficiency • Allergies and Asthma Call: 646-616-0481
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