MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. (February 24, 2015) — Middletown Medical, the Hudson Valley’s premier provider of healthcare services, wants you to remember that March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month, a most important annual initiative to raise awareness to the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
Since being introduced in 2000, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month has grown to be a rallying point for the colon cancer community where thousands of patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates throughout the country join together to spread colon cancer awareness by wearing blue, holding fundraising and education events, talking to friends and family about screening and so much more.
More can be learned on how to get involved and raise awareness by visiting www.coloncancermonth.org.
And with this, Middletown Medical urges the importance of a colonoscopy, and offers a convenient procedure suite at its main location at 111 Maltese Drive in Middletown, thus saving a patient a trip to a hospital for the same procedure. At this location, Middletown features two gastroenterologists, Dr. Dhiren Patel and Dr. John Podeszwa, while Dr. Sheldon Leidner is available in Monticello (Middletown Medical’s Sullivan Internal Medicine Group at 518 Broadway). All are Board Certified, and all are readily available to perform this potentially life-saving procedure.
Additionally, Middletown Medical is the only provider in the region offering comprehensive hereditary cancer risk assessment and genetic testing – either Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer syndrome or Lynch syndrome, the latter gene which can lead to colon cancer. And since people with a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or offspring) have 2-3 times the risk of developing the disease, this simple screening can also be a potential life-saver. To learn more about this program, and to take a short quiz to learn more about your potential risk, visit www.middletownmedical.com/hereditary-cancer-risk-testing.
“Early detection is key, as there are currently more than one million colon cancer survivors in the U.S.,” said Lori Marl, Middletown Medical’s Operations Director.
To schedule a colonoscopy or a hereditary cancer risk assessment test, please call (845) 342-4774.
