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.
2019 marked our 4th annual Charity Colonoscopy Clinic in partnership with People's Community Clinic. Over the course of these four annual events we have provided screening colonoscopies and colon cancer educational programs for 122 uninsured people at high risk for developing colon cancer. Of these 122 people screened, roughly half of them had pre-malignant lesions and polyps removed, essentially sparing these individual and their families the hardships of a cancer diagnosis and alleviated the potential financial catastrophe that could accompany colon cancer.
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.
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.
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.
Learn more about the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
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.
