Iowa Specialty Hospital

Putting a Light-Hearted Spin on Colonoscopies

February 1, 2018

Picture of jeans around man's ankles; Drop Your Drawers On Our Floors - Colonoscopies save lives.  Call 641-444-5573.Iowa Specialty Hospital is putting a light-hearted spin on colonoscopies during February and March.  The campaign goal is to raise awareness that colorectal cancer does not always cause symptoms until later stages, but that a colonoscopy can often detect precancerous polyps and early-stage cancer.

Among the cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States. However, if everyone aged 50 years or older had regular colonoscopy screenings, at least 60% of deaths from this cancer could be avoided.  

During February and March, the focus will be on a “Drop Your Drawers” campaign.  The message simply encourages people to schedule their colonoscopy if they are over 50 or have been encouraged by their providers to have one earlier.

“We know that people don’t want to have a colonoscopy.  So we thought if we could catch their attention with a little humor, maybe it would take away the anxiety involved,” said Steve Simonin, CEO.

Michael Hurt, MD, CMO, added, “Our goal was really to target men who are 50 or older and still haven’t had a colonoscopy as part of their healthcare.  We know that farmers, in particular, often have some downtime during these months, and we really want to encourage them to take the time to care for themselves.”

As one recent male patient shared, “The procedure was so much easier than I expected, and the staff was great.  It would have been easy to dismiss the suggestion of my provider, but he encouraged me to do this for my wife and kids because they need me around.  How could I say no to that?”

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