Orlando Health developing the Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Orlando Health is developing the Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute, a highly specialized gastrointestinal diagnostic and treatment program designed to serve patients from across the southeastern United States. The institute, which is currently providing services as it continues to grow, integrates medicine, surgery, radiology, and pathology to optimize care for patients with complex and general digestive and liver disorders.

"The Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute is designed and developed by a panel of internationally recognized experts specializing in pancreatic and biliary disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal oncology and other complex digestive disorders," said Sunil Desai, MD, president of Orlando Health Medical Group. "When fully developed in 2022, it will be the only one of its kind in the country. We are excited to introduce this comprehensive service to help the millions of people who suffer from these debilitating conditions."

Annually, digestive diseases, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, affect approximately 1.5 million people in the United States and up to 70 million people worldwide, according to the National Institutes of Health. Multidisciplinary teams at the Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute treat these and other conditions with advanced diagnostic techniques and therapies reinforced by personalized care to meet patients' unique needs.

The Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute will consist of:

• The Center for Advanced Endoscopy Research and Education where complex conditions are treated using the latest therapeutic endoscopy techniques resulting in fewer complications and hospitalizations.
• The Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease featuring minimally invasive endoscopic treatments and a team-based approach to manage IBD and its complications.
• The Luminal Gastroenterology Program that manages patients with disorders such as GI bleeding, abdominal pain and intestinal polyps.
• Subspecialty Programs encompassing pancreatic, liver and motility diseases are in development.
• The Gastrointestinal Cancer Center where experienced physicians and a support system walk patients through every step of their treatment plan and recovery.
• Research that provides opportunities for innovative clinical trials and programs that educate the next generation of digestive health experts.

Future elements of the program include more than a dozen new physician specialists and several new digestive health facilities that are currently or will soon be under construction at multiple campuses including Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital, Orlando Health Medical Pavilion – Summerport and Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, which will become the institute's flagship destination. Additional announcements will coincide with these new additions.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $7.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States.

Founded more than 100 years ago, the healthcare system is recognized around the world for its pediatric and adult Level One Trauma program as well as the only state-accredited Level Two Adult Trauma Center in the St. Petersburg region. It is the home of the nation's largest neonatal intensive care unit under one roof, the only system in the southeast to offer open fetal surgery to repair the most severe forms of spina bifida, the site of an Olympic athlete training facility and operator of one of the largest and highest performing clinically integrated networks in the region. Orlando Health is a statutory teaching system that pioneers life-changing medical research. The 3,200-bed system includes 15 wholly-owned hospitals and emergency departments; rehabilitation services, cancer and heart institutes, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, physician offices for adults and pediatrics, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with CareSpot Urgent Care. Nearly 4,200 physicians, representing more than 80 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs nearly 22,000 team members. In FY20, Orlando Health served nearly 150,000 inpatients and nearly 3.1 million outpatients. During that same time period, Orlando Health provided approximately $760 million in total value to the communities it serves in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more. Additional information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @orlandohealth.

MEDIA CONTACT:    
Kena Lewis, APR
[email protected]   
Cell: 407-403-1661

SOURCE Orlando Health