Florida Hospital Flagler Educates Community on Colon Health

PALM COAST, Fla. March 1, 2018 On Feb. 21, Florida Hospital Flagler gastroenterologist Dr. Joseph McKinley spoke about digestive health and the important role of screenings in colon health to guests during Palm Coasts Park and Recreations departments new Coffee Series.

Colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer in the U.S. and it is the second leading cause of cancer related death, McKinley said. It is estimated that more than half of all colon cancers could be prevented with regular screening via colonoscopy.

Even if you do not have any symptoms of colon cancer, regular screenings can save your life, he added. Colonoscopies can prevent many cases of colorectal cancer altogether by finding and removing polyps before they ever have the chance to turn into cancer. In addition, colonoscopies allow us to find colorectal cancer early, when the cancer is small and has not yet spread to other areas of the body.

Florida Hospital Flagler sponsors the Coffee Series, designed to provide valuable information on a variety of health-related topics.

The Coffee Series is free, but registration is required at least 48 hours in advance (while space available) at: www.palmcoastgov.com/register. (Click on Adult or Senior Activities and look for Coffee Series.)

About Florida Hospital Flagler

Florida Hospital Flagler is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and 8,200 licensed beds in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital Flagler has 99-beds and is one of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees.