BSA opens Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy

Brianna Maestas, Amarillo Globe-News
·3 min read

BSA Health System and BSA Amarillo Diagnostic Clinic leaders held an unveiling and ribbon cutting celebration for their new BSA Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy (CATE) at the BSA hospital Thursday afternoon.

The new center, located on the first floor of the hospital, utilizes state-of-the-art technology in diagnosing and treating digestive system disorders and other gastrointestinal (GI) procedures.

"This is our first Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy in the panhandle. We are treating individuals with advanced GI issues, such as ERCP's, biliary issues, and colon issues. We are saving people from having to have surgery and providing a lot of endoscopic work," Glenda Harris, Assistant Chief Nursing officer at BSA, said.

BSA staff, patients, community members and the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce celebrate the grand opening of BSA's new Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy, the first of its kind in the panhandle, during their Thursday afternoon ribbon cutting.
BSA staff, patients, community members and the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce celebrate the grand opening of BSA's new Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy, the first of its kind in the panhandle, during their Thursday afternoon ribbon cutting.
BSA Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy staff pose for a photo, marking the opening of the new state-of-the-art facility during a Thursday afternoon ribbon cutting.
BSA Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy staff pose for a photo, marking the opening of the new state-of-the-art facility during a Thursday afternoon ribbon cutting.

BSA said that in the past, many individuals had to travel as far as Dallas or Lubbock to receive these procedures, but now the health system has the space and means to diagnose, treat, care for, and rehabilitate these patients locally with the opening of the center.

"Previously this was not offered in Amarillo; we are the first in our area able to perform these type of procedures. We are treating some advanced esophageal illnesses. We are treating large polyps in which a person would typically have to undergo a surgery to have them removed. We are not only now able to provide those surgeries locally, but allow the patients to go home the day of and heal in the comfort of their own home, all while working to decrease cancer incidents here in the panhandle," Harris said.

Previously, BSA was able to perform approximately 20 of these procedures annually. Since the establishment of CATE, BSA estimates that they will have the ability to perform as many as 400 procedures annually.

"We already have patients; we've seen a sort of boom in patients. We've needed this so badly here in the panhandle and are now able to offer it with all new equipment, supplies and amazing staff," Harris said.

The space features 12 pre- and post-procedure bays, along with three procedure rooms, including an advanced therapeutic endoscopy suite. The center is staffed by a team of experienced, highly skilled professionals at BSA. This team includes gastroenterologists, advanced endoscopists, a pancreaticobiliary surgeon, interventional radiologists, medical and surgical oncologists, GI pathologists and nurses.

BSA and the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce celebrate the grand opening of BSA's new Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy, as Glenda Harris, Assistant Chief Nursing officer at BSA, cuts the ceremonial ribbon during their Thursday afternoon ribbon cutting.
BSA and the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce celebrate the grand opening of BSA's new Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy, as Glenda Harris, Assistant Chief Nursing officer at BSA, cuts the ceremonial ribbon during their Thursday afternoon ribbon cutting.
BSA presents their new Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy, the first of its kind in the Texas Panhandle, during a ribbon cutting celebration held Thursday afternoon.
BSA presents their new Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy, the first of its kind in the Texas Panhandle, during a ribbon cutting celebration held Thursday afternoon.

"We are now able to provide the full spectrum of therapeutic endoscopy, which includes a large variety of procedures that are in the interface between medicine and surgery, which ultimately means we are able to more often avoid major medical procedures for a lot of patients through the new renovation," said BSA Amarillo Diagnostic Clinic Gastroenterologist Haq Nawaz, MD.

"A lot of the work that we do includes follow ups, and we are now able to provide those locally, resulting in less travel from our patients. That means we are able to support even more of our local medical community, now able to refer our patients locally for therapy and the like, which is an added contribution this center created for the community," Nawaz added.

According to BSA, Nawaz played a major role in the creation of CATE, having moved to Amarillo from Maine approximately two years ago, and he began discussing the creation of the center, helping to build the treatment for more advanced patients, and the training of CATE staff.

Advanced endoscopic procedures performed at the center include endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for managing benign or malignant pancreaticobiliary disorders; cholangioscopy / pancreatoscopy for direct visualization of the bile duct and pancreatic duct; endoscopic ultrasound for staging and sampling of gastrointestinal tumors and pancreaticobiliary interventions; colonoscopy with endoscopic mucosal resection or submucosal dissection for removing large colon polyps; and EMR and radiofrequency ablation for treating dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus.

To make a patient referral, call 806-358-0200. For more information about the new center or BSA, go online to https://bsahs.org/ .

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: BSA presents new Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy