JACKSON, Wyo. — Dr. Allen Woods has nearly four decades of experience in the field of gastroenterology, and now he’s bringing his vast expertise to St. John’s Health (SJH). Alongside nurse practitioner Allison Armitage, Dr. Woods is delivering a new level of gastrointestinal (GI) services to patients in the Jackson Hole community. The GI clinic opened its doors a year ago, and the list of ways the team can help is on track to continue expanding.
With gastroenterology highlighted as an area of focus in the new SJH Strategic Plan, patients managing chronic GI conditions are now able to find more ongoing treatment and support locally, easing the overall strain of navigating their diagnosis.
“We can see chronic gastroenterology patients, so that they don’t have to go regularly to Salt Lake or to Idaho Falls for checking in,” Armitage said. “Or as problems arise, we can see them right here at home. I’ve already heard from many patients; they’re really happy that they don’t have to go elsewhere, that they have someone local who can order all of their infusions and things. That makes the whole process quite a bit easier for these patients.”
“My work at St. John’s Health so far has an emphasis on people with chronic GI disease, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease,” Dr. Woods said. “They can probably get 90% to 95% of their needed care here now. Another focus of mine is metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease — which used to be called fatty liver disease — and it’s epidemic.”
“About 13.5% to 20% of people with fatty liver disease will develop cirrhosis of the liver during their lifetime,” Dr. Woods added. “That’s an interest and a focus of mine, trying to prevent progression of that chronic liver disease by doing some treatment and directed therapy.”
Dr. Woods also hopes that his services in coming months can help patients avoid more serious issues by offering preventative screenings and early intervention. “An area that we can impact significantly is saving lives by doing screening colonoscopies,” he said. “With my presence here, and the general surgery service that also offers screening colonoscopies locally, we can prevent colon cancer before it happens.”
“There are 150,000 new cases of colon cancer every year in the United States,” added Dr. Woods. “To break it down simply, 4% of females in the US will experience colon cancer during their lifetime, and 5% of the males will experience colon cancer. Removing a colon polyp before it becomes colon cancer is really what got me excited about gastroenterology.”
Both Dr. Woods and Armitage encourage patients with new or worsening GI symptoms to reach out. “I always want people to know that if they’re living with chronic GI complaints, such as pain, bloating, reflux, that they should come see us, and also not to ignore changes,” Armitage said. “For a change in bowel habits, new diarrhea, new constipation, and new blood in their stool, people should come get checked out.”
To inquire about an appointment, call St. John’s Health Gastroenterology at 307.739.7690
