December 13, 2023
The Valley Hospital is proud to announce it has received the SCOPY ‘Staying Strong & Scoping On’ Award by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).
ACG’s SCOPY recognizes the achievements of ACG members in their community engagement, education, and awareness efforts for colorectal cancer prevention. ACG members submit examples of projects and programs to be considered for the award.
Throughout February and March of 2023, Valley held several events to promote awareness of colorectal cancer. This included events held at public libraries, the Paramus Park mall, distribution of free Fecal Immunochemical Test kits to churches in our community, lectures, videos, and more. Valley placed a high focus on promoting awareness of colorectal cancer and its prevention to African Americans in our community, especially given that they are at a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer as compared to other races. These awareness events were submitted to ACG for consideration.
“We are honored to have received this award for all we do to communicate the importance of colorectal cancer screening and prevention, including messaging for our Fast-Track Screening Colonoscopy program,” said Haleh Pazwash, MD, Subspecialty Department Director of Gastroenterology for The Valley Hospital.
The Fast Track Screening Colonoscopy program at The Valley Hospital was established for patients who were not willing to have a colonoscopy because they had to schedule an additional appointment with a gastroenterologist or colorectal surgeon before having the procedure. As a result of The Valley Hospital’s Fast Track Screening Colonoscopy program, eligible patients can forego this initial consultation. Patients are screened over the phone by an advanced practice provider (APP) to ensure they are eligible for the program. If deemed eligible, the APP matches the patients up with a physician based on an insurance match, availability, and the patient’s personal preference. Since its inception in 2018, the Valley’s Fast Track Screening Colonoscopy program has proudly screened more than 1,100 patients.
“Valley Health System looks forward to continuing to educate the community about the importance of colorectal cancer screening and prevention,” said Sita Chokhavatia, MD, gastroenterologist.
For more information about Valley’s Fast-Track Screening Colonoscopy program, please visit ValleyHealth.com/FastTrack.