Downtown’s convention hotels host hundreds of groups each year and some bring some pretty unusual exhibits.
In what is a first for Jacksonville, 700 delegates of the United Ostomy Associations of America Inc. are attending their annual conference this week at the Hyatt Downtown and have set up a 40-foot scale-model colon on the second floor near the ballrooms.
The exhibit has viewing ports that demonstrate maladies associated with the organ, or guests can crawl through the model for a closer look.
It’s an educational aid, said associations board member Jim Murray.
“We’re an association of support groups dedicated to helping people who have been diagnosed with a disease of the colon,” said Murray, who is an 8-year survivor of colon cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
The model is open to the public 9 a.m.-5 p.m. today and Friday.
Representatives of the association are on-site to answer questions and provide information about colon health.
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