网曝门事件

After losing his grandfather to colon cancer, Tyler Newton works to promote early detection.

When Tyler Newton was 12 years old, his grandfather was diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer. 鈥淗e had such a playful side,鈥� Newton recalls. 鈥淚 remember having a family reunion, and my dad and grandpa were sharing stories, and we all laughed so hard we cried.鈥� Six months after his diagnosis, his grandfather passed away.

The experience had a lasting impact on Newton, who is the operations executive at 网曝门事件 Health Sonora. He saw the importance of preventative screening and how it can affect many lives. Now, he鈥檚 working with hospital leadership and the philanthropy team to open a comprehensive digestive health center right here in Sonora so that everyone can access the services they need to prevent or treat diseases of the digestive tract.

Further Reading: What To Expect For Your First Colonoscopy: 8 Questions, Answered

Early detection

The American Cancer Society recommends that adults age 45 and older get a colonoscopy every 10 years. But many people skip or delay this screening. Doctors found Newton鈥檚 grandfather鈥檚 cancer when he went in for his first colonoscopy in his early 70s. 鈥淎t that point, it was essentially untreatable,鈥� Newton recalls.

During a routine colonoscopy, doctors examine the colon and rectum for signs of cancer and polyps, small growths that could develop into cancer. Because polyps can take several years to develop into cancer, they can be surgically removed if they are found during a colonoscopy. That鈥檚 why Newton and his family make sure they keep up on preventative screenings. 鈥淢y dad had his first colonoscopy at 45, and they found polyps,鈥� Newton says. 鈥淕etting a colonoscopy will be part of my routine, too.鈥�

Growing community needs

网曝门事件 Health Sonora鈥檚 current gastroenterology (GI) lab has three procedure rooms for colonoscopies. And with nearly 100,000 people living in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, providers are at capacity for these screenings. 鈥淪ometimes patients can鈥檛 get in for several months,鈥� Newton explains. 鈥淲hen the hospital was built in 2004, there just wasn鈥檛 that level of demand in the community.鈥�

Newton and the project team are helping the hospital catch up. In its new, expanded location, the planned digestive health center will have six GI procedure rooms, doubling the current capacity for providers to conduct colonoscopies and other digestive tract procedures.

The center will have the latest GI technology, too, Newton says. 鈥淲e are working with our GI physicians to determine what technology and equipment we need to be able to better serve the community so they don鈥檛 have to drive elsewhere for care,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd we designed the new space to fit these standards.鈥�

Raising hope

Newton has been hands-on throughout the planning of the digestive health center, from early conversations to coordinating design and construction proposals.

He鈥檚 working closely with Andee Houser, director of philanthropy for 网曝门事件 Health Sonora, to support the project, with a goal of raising 20 percent of the total cost through community donations.

For Newton, this is all about giving the community hope and honoring his grandfather. 鈥淲hen I was 12 and he was in his 70s, I thought that was so old. But as an adult, I realize that鈥檚 not old at all,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here is still a lot of life to live at that point, and too many lives are cut short by not having the right access. We鈥檙e making sure that鈥檚 not the case in our community.鈥�