ROCKPORT, Maine — To help meet a growing demand for colonoscopies and other gastrointestinal services, Pen Bay Medical Center has added two new providers to its Gastroenterology department.
The additions of Gastroenterologist Eric Elton, MD, and Nurse Practitioner Amber Mastronardi are part of a larger effort by MaineHealth and Pen Bay to increase access to high-quality care for the people in Knox County and beyond.
“Our Gastroenterology department has grown consistently since 2018 and now has the most clinical providers on staff in its history,” said Kirk Bernadino, MD, medical director of Pen Bay Gastroenterology. “This growth is Pen Bay responding to our community's needs but also becoming a practice that serves people outside our communities.”
The expansion of the team means more patients can be seen, and procedures can be scheduled sooner. Last year, increased demand drove the wait time for a routine colonoscopy to one year. Since Dr. Elton arrived in January, that wait time has been cut in half.
Dr. Bernadino attributed the increase in demand to three factors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the routine screening age for colonoscopies to 45 from 50 in May of 2021. According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer rates have risen one to two percent since the mid-1990s in those under the age of 55. And, since the COVID pandemic, there has been an increase in both the local population and its average age.
“Patients should start seeing shorter wait times now that there is more access to gastroenterologists,” said Dr. Bernadino.
Dr. Elton joins Dr. Bernadino in providing the full range of gastroenterology services for patients. Mastronardi will provide care to clinic patients including ordering tests, scheduling procedures and providing consults and follow-ups. She will work alongside Nurse Practitioners Catherine Wilson and Michelle Kinney.
“Having five providers on staff has already improved patient access to gastroenterology services and provided support to help co-manage patients in the clinic,” said Dr. Bernadino. “We are very excited to be able to provide greater access for patients not only in Knox County but around the state.”
Dr. Elton comes to Pen Bay from NorthShore University HealthSystem in Chicago where he worked for over 20 years. He served in multiple roles there as the attending physician in the Division of Gastroenterology, including director of quality and director of therapeutic endoscopy, among others.
Dr. Elton did his residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1990. He also holds a bachelor’s in biology from Tufts University.
Mastronardi moves to the gastroenterology department from Pen Bay’s cardiac testing department, where she worked as a registered nurse. She earned her master’s in nursing from Walden University and holds a bachelor’s in health science with a minor in holistic health from the University of Southern Maine.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call Pen Bay Gastroenterology at 207-301-5970.
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About Pen Bay Medical Center
Pen Bay Medical Center is part of MaineHealth, a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of nine local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,600 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With more than 19,000 employees, MaineHealth is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. For more information, please visit pbmc.org.