Medtronic is expanding the Medtronic Health Equity Assistance Program for colon cancer screening in medically underserved communities across the United States, with support from Amazon Web Services's (AWS) Health Equity Initiative. The GI Genius units provided as part of the program have increased from 50 to 133 systems being placed at 62 facilities.
Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. was the first to receive its donated GI Genius units last month following the launch of the program in February 2022. Gastroenterologists at Grady Memorial Hospital perform more than 7,000 colon cancer screening procedures each year among a predominantly Black community. Accounting for 80% of the specialty's patient population, Black adults are disproportionately burdened by colon cancer, at greater risk of diagnosis, worse outcome and death.
"We are excited to provide this novel technology to our patients. By utilizing GI Genius, we have the potential to increase our adenoma detection rate and reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer in a high-risk and vulnerable population," said Benjamin D. Renelus, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Grady Memorial Hospital. "The hospital's hope is that the thousands of patients receiving colonoscopy cancer screenings each year at our facility will benefit from Medtronic's GI Genius intelligent endoscopy module with the potential for earlier detection and better patient outcomes."
"This endeavor is a unique and inspiring opportunity to contribute enormously to the reduction of colorectal cancer screening disparities in communities where patients are disproportionately uninsured and have historically faced barriers accessing life-saving preventative care, including healthcare technology that can aid in detecting colorectal cancer," said Fola May, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine, director of Quality Improvement in Gastroenterology, and health equity researcher at UCLA Health.
