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<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cOn the inside, it looks a lot like the existing Specialty Hospital, with some newer, even more modern things,\u201d said Dr. Ron Place, regional president and CEO of Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center, adding that the emphasis on GI services is being driven by \u201ca growing Sioux Falls population, more people willing to travel for specialty care and changing recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s now recommended that colon cancer screening start at age 45 instead of 50.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you don\u2019t just screen once, so it adds to the screens that need to be done, and those who are positive need to repeat (more often),\u201d Place said.<\/p>\n The new pavilion will increase Avera\u2019s GI procedure capacity by 100 percent, including general GI procedure rooms for uses such as colonoscopy and endoscopy, plus two advanced procedure rooms for specialized procedures such as fluoroscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic ultrasound and any case requiring general anesthesia rather than sedation.<\/p>\n The new building also will allow for more pre- and post-procedure rooms and clinic exam rooms.<\/p>\n At $70 million, it\u2019s part of Avera\u2019s recent record $245 million overall investment in Sioux Falls facilities, which includes the new women and children\u2019s tower on the Avera McKennan campus in central Sioux Falls.<\/p>\n \u201cIt opens up a building that\u2019s centered around just GI and gives us the ability to grow and accommodate the growing community,\u201d said Justin Snyder, assistant vice president for surgical services. \u201cAnytime you have an area that\u2019s very focused on one area, you experience those efficiencies that get passed down to the patient in terms of their experience and how focused that care is.\u201d<\/p>\n Patients will find \u201cthe feel of it with the lighting and windows just feels inviting,\u201d he continued. \u201cI think our patients will notice that.\u201d<\/p>\n Inside, \u201cit\u2019s really state-of-the-art equipment for scope processing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Parts of the building, including the third floor, will be built out when expansion is needed.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n