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Missouri Digestive Health Center facility opens at Fairview Clinic Patients with gastrointestinal disorders or needing colorectal screenings have a new, more convenient option for care with the opening of the new Missouri Digestive Health Center facility at the University Physicians-Fairview Clinic at 101 South Fairview Road in Columbia. The Fairview location features nine preparation and recovery rooms, three procedure rooms and five clinical exam rooms equipped with the latest technology to diagnose, evaluate and treat digestive diseases. Each preparation room includes a private bathroom, lockers, flat screen television and accommodations for family members. “These rooms were designed with the patient in mind,” said Jamal Ibdah, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the Missouri Digestive Health Center. Ibdah also serves as director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the MU School of Medicine, as well as the Raymond E. and Vaona H. Peck Chair in Cancer Research. “This is one of a very few facilities in the country where each preparation room includes a private bathroom for the patient,” said Ibdah. Patients will find a dedicated facility designed specifically for treating gastrointestinal disorders. The center is centrally located, with an easily accessible parking lot. “Our patients can park only few feet from the Missouri Digestive Health Center entrance, making the patient experience more convenient and less stressful,” said Ibdah. The Missouri Digestive Health Center is staffed with a comprehensive care team of nine gastroenterologists and five surgeons trained in minimally invasive and endoscopic surgery. Bruce Ramshaw, M.D., chief of the Division of General Surgery and the John A. Growdon Distinguished Professor of Surgery, serves as co-director of the center. Ramshaw believes patients and staff will benefit most from the collaboration among experts in a variety of specialties. “With current and newly hired faculty in gastroenterology, surgical oncology and general surgery, a multidisciplinary team can offer an individual with a colon mass the most comprehensive group of treatment options available,” said Ramshaw. The center’s specialists are trained in the areas of liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease and neuromuscular disorders such as swallowing difficulties. Colorectal cancer screenings are also available to patients. Beginning at age 50, all men and women are encouraged to have regular colorectal screenings. These screenings can detect precancerous polyps so they can be removed before developing into cancer. “There is a high prevalence of colorectal cancer in Missouri, but we estimate nearly 70 percent of those eligible for colorectal cancer screenings do not have the test performed,” said Ibdah. “We hope to improve those numbers through our colorectal cancer-screening program and outreach programs.” In addition to the Fairview Clinic, the Missouri Digestive Health Center includes newly renovated space at University Hospital. The endoscopy suite features four procedure rooms and 13 patient rooms and is supported by three new minimally invasive surgical suites. Gastrointestinal procedures are also performed at Columbia Regional Hospital. To make an appointment for a colon cancer screening or for more information on the Missouri Digestive Health Center, please call (573) 882-1434. Physicians on the faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine are also members of University Physicians, the largest medical group practice in mid-Missouri. University Physicians includes more than 400 doctors trained in more than 70 specialties. University Physicians provides inpatient and outpatient care at University of Missouri Health Care hospitals and clinics in Columbia and throughout the state. |
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