Community Outreach

At Austin Gastroenterology, we’re committed to serving the communities where our patients and staff live by raising awareness and providing education on gastrointestinal (GI) conditions and treatment options.

We recognize the importance of dedicated outreach for the early detection and effective treatment of GI and liver disorders. Among the physicians who founded Austin Gastro in 1980, as well as the physicians who have since joined our practice, there is a common shared value of giving back to our community. We are dedicated to helping those without the financial means or family support gain access to quality healthcare. Our charity work, volunteerism, leadership, and community partnerships are all focused on this goal.

AG is proud to sponsor and participate in various fundraisers within our community, such as the Get Your Rear in Gear 5K for the Colon Cancer Coalition and the Take Steps walk for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. See this year’s events below.

Charity Colonoscopy Clinic

In 2016, AG held our inaugural Charity Colonoscopy Clinic in partnership with People’s Community Clinic. Our mission is to serve the uninsured patient population in Austin by providing free education and colonoscopies to at-risk patients who would not otherwise have access to colonoscopy procedures.

AG is thrilled to have found a partner in People’s Community Clinic who shares our core values of compassion, empowerment through education, and providing quality patient care to an underserved community. We look forward to continuing this work with People’s Community Clinic for years to come.

Pre-procedure education was provided to select PCC patients in the weeks prior to the event. These group teaching sessions were designed to raise awareness and to ensure the overall success of the clinic and quality of the procedures.

Austin Endoscopy Center (a division of Austin Gastro) donated the use of its facility. Bowel preps were donated by Braintree and Salix Pharmaceuticals. Therapeutic procedure devices were donated by Cook Medical. Austin Histology Lab and CPA pathologists donated services for these cases.

Colon Cancer Coalition - Get Your Rear in Gear 5K

Austin Gastro is a proud sponsor of the Colon Cancer Coalition's annual Get Your Rear in Gear 5K. This year’s race took place on February 25 at Camp Mabry. More than 1,000 people registered for the 2017 race, making it the largest GYRIG run in Austin to date.

The goal of the Colon Cancer Coalition is to empower local communities to promote prevention and early detection of colon cancer and to provide support to those affected.

Learn more about the Colon Cancer Coalition and check out our Facebook page for event coverage.

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation – Take Steps Walk

Austin Gastro is a proud sponsor of the annual Take Steps walk for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. This year’s event took place on May 20 at the Travis County Expo Center.

Coping with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis can be extremely challenging and isolating. Take Steps is a family-friendly fundraising event where patients, loved ones, friends, and supporters EMPOWER and INSPIRE each other to continue the fight against these devastating diseases. Patients and their families are able to CONNECT with the greater IBD Community, helping them understand that they are never alone in this fight.

Zac Hrncir, 2017 Honored Hero for Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, joined us at the kickoff party on March 25.

Learn more about the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

AG’s Charity Colonoscopy Clinic

AG held our 2nd annual charity colorectal cancer education and screening event on Saturday, April 1, 2017, in partnership with People's Community Clinic. Everyone involved donated their time to help save lives and raise awareness about colon cancer. The event was a big success and helped save lives:

  • 26 colonoscopies were performed
  • 11 adenomas were detected, including a 3 cm potentially malignant polyp
  • Adenoma detection rate (ADR) for males for this day was 71%, well above our practice average of 49%
  • ADR for females was 42%, also above our practice average of 36%

Our deepest appreciation goes out to everyone who joined us for this important community service event that means so much to all of us at Austin Gastro. And we are proud to say that the clinic was selected for a “Scopy Award” for community service by the American College of Gastroenterology Endoscopy.

Volunteers from Austin Gastro and People’s Community Clinic united for a common goal – saving lives through patient education and screening colonoscopies for people who wouldn’t otherwise have access.

Dr. Harish Gagneja of Austin Gastro with Dana DeSapio, CNO/Administrator of AG’s Austin Endoscopy Centers. Dana worked closely with People’s Community Clinic to select and qualify appropriate patients, participated in the patient education programs, recruited all of the volunteers, and solicited all of the donated materials for the events. Dana communicated results back to the primary care providers and PCC.

Dr. Pradeep Kumar of Austin Gastro with Annette Mathieson, Clinical Director at People’s Community Clinic. Annette was our main point of contact for this project and served at the helm of determining patient eligibility, scheduling, coordinating patient education events to prepare patients for their procedure, and providing multiple volunteers as interpreters and clinical staff.

Patient Testimonials

“The entire staff was pleasant, professional and efficient. I was so nervous and everyone, from the check-in staff to nurses and techs to the anesthesiologist and finally Dr Reddy simply made the whole experience so comfortable. Highly recommend these fine folks.”

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