WHMC Receives Two Million Dollar Grant to Expand Gastroenterological Procedures
Wyckoff Heights Medical Center is pleased to accept a federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant for $2 million dollars from the Honorable Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who currently serves as the Representative for New York’s 7th Congressional District.
The grant will be dedicated to the expansion of the gastroenterological procedures space to increase access to colorectal cancer screenings.
The vast majority (89%) of the members of our patient community who are eligible for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening are failing to undergo this essential preventive medicine evaluation. In 2021, Wyckoff’s ambulatory services referred 437 patients for CRC screening and only 47 (11%) completed the process. One of the reasons for this failure to screen patients is the fact that WHMC does not have a dedicated area for gastrointestinal (GI) ambulatory procedures.
The grant will provide the funds to add four new procedure rooms with a six-bed recovery area. Creating an area external to the operating room that is dedicated to ambulatory Gl procedures will allow WHMC to decrease the scheduling time for colonoscopies from months to days. In addition, it will double the monthly volume of patients served from 250 to 500, ensuring improved and timely patient access to this preventive procedure and increased compliance with colorectal cancer screening recommendations.