Beacon Hospital to host Bowel Cancer Awareness Day

Press Release April, 2009Beacon Hospital to host Bowel Cancer Awareness DayBowel Cancer – Abolishing the mythsBeacon Hospital will host a public awareness day on Tuesday 28th April as part of thenational Irish Cancer Society’s Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. The awareness day forpatients, visitors and members of the public, is being held to raise awareness andunderstanding of Bowel Cancer, the second most common cancer in Ireland.Responsible for some 12-14% of all cancer deaths in Ireland, Bowel Cancer affects menand women equally. However, treatment options are readily available.During the awareness day an information point will be available between 10am and 4pmand an information session will be held between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on the 6 th floor. Dr.Jennifer Westrup, Consultant Oncologist and Dr. Brian Weston, ConsultantGastroenterologist and Hepatologist will both deliver brief talks discussing thesymptoms, diagnosis and treatment of Bowel Cancer.Members of the local community are encouraged to attend the awareness day to learnmore about Bowel Cancer so that the symptoms can be examined at an early stage,making the disease more manageable.

Discussion Topics• Dr. Jennifer Westrup will speak about Colon Cancer Treatment and Abolishingthe Myths• Dr. Brian Weston will discuss the issue of Quality ColonoscopiesTypical Symptoms of Bowel Cancer include:• Change in bowel movements• Rectal bleeding• Lower abdominal pain• Feeling as though there is still a need to pass something even after a bowelmovement• Ongoing weight loss for no apparent reason• Ongoing tirednessAbout Beacon HospitalThe 238,000 sq ft, nine-floor Beacon Hospital was opened in October 2006, and providesworld-class acute care services, including heart surgery, neurosurgery, and emergencymedicine services. Beacon Hospital has eight operating theatres, two endoscopy suitesand fourteen critical care beds. The eight operating theatres are divided into dedicatedrooms for neurosurgery, urology, cardiac, general, orthopaedic and ophthalmic surgery.The Critical Care Unit is a fourteen-bed unit with individual glass-fronted cubicles, inorder to ensure privacy and to minimise the risk of infection. The open plan design allowsfor visibility of all patients at all times.Beacon Hospital opened its Consultant-delivered Emergency Department at BeaconHospital in March 2007. Beacon Emergency Department is the first EmergencyDepartment in the Eastern region attached to an independent hospital, giving patientsimmediate access to all of the major specialities on site, including some of the mostadvanced diagnostic and laboratory services available in the region, such as X-Ray,Ultrasound, CT, MRI, routine and specialised blood tests.

Beacon Cancer Centre offers an unparalleled range of cancer treatment and uniquely haskey services such as diagnostics, surgery, chemotherapy, radiology, two state-of-the-artLinear Accelerators (LINACs), and follow-up under one roof.The hospital has also introduced a dedicated Beacon Women’s Centre, whichencompasses the full spectrum of women’s gynaecological needs in a modernenvironment, utilising minimally invasive procedures whenever possible, with a speedyturn around time for patients.Beacon Hospital is the European showcase for General Electric (GE) equipment and isthe only hospital in Ireland that has a full complement of the most advanced radiologyequipment under one roof.About UPMCUPMC, (University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre), is an integrated global healthenterprise headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and one of the leading nonprofithealth systems in the United States. As western Pennsylvania’s largest employer with48,000 employees and nearly $7 billion in revenue, UPMC is transforming the economyof the region into one based on medicine, research and technology. By integrating 20hospitals, 400 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites, long-term care facilities and amajor insurance plan, UPMC has advanced the quality and efficiency of health care anddeveloped internationally renowned programs in transplantation, cancer, neurosurgery,psychiatry, orthopaedics and sports medicine, among others. UPMC is commercializingits medical and technological expertise by nurturing new companies, developing strategicbusiness relationships with some of the world’s leading multi-national corporations, andexpanding into international markets including Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom andQatar. For more information about UPMC, visit our website at www.upmc.com.