The Bariatric Center

Call 904-399-6360 for information & session schedules.

National Recognition & Awards

Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies recognize Memorial Hospital as a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric surgery. Memorial Hospital is the only hospital in Northeast Florida to have been given this prestigious recognition. This distinction recognizes that Memorial provides a full range of Bariatric surgical care services including inpatient care, post-operative care, follow-up and patient education. The facilities recognized must meet stringent quality criteria, as established by expert physician panels, surgeons, behaviorists and nutritionists.

American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) awarded Memorial Hospital with the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designation in 2006. The ASMBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization, analyzed patient outcomes at all hospitals in 19 states that perform bariatric surgeries and found that Memorial Hospital ranked in the top 10% in terms of quality of care for the fifth year in a row.

Bariatric Surgery

Obesity is a major healthcare concern in the United States as more than 30% of the US population is obese and more than 11% of the population is morbidly (severely) obese. The US Department of Health and Human Services has recently identified obesity as a disease and a major health risk for Americans. Severe obesity is not a disorder of will power. It is a disease that is influenced by heredity, environment, culture, and psychological factors.

An individual who has a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater is classified as morbidly obese. If a person has other severe medical conditions, this score may be 35 or greater. For most patients who struggle with morbid obesity, long-term weight-reduction attempts are

effective only for a few months.

Risks of Obesity

The risks are substantial. An obese person has a 400% higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes and a 75% higher risk of developing coronary heart disease. Excess weight also increases the risk and severity of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, gall bladder disease, joint disease, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, depression and cancer. The risk of death for a person who is severely obese (BMI greater than 35) is twice that of a person who is not overweight.

A Healthy New Start

Conquering severe obesity is much more than reaching a number, whether it is a clothing size or a mark on a scale. Conquering obesity is about restoring and preserving your health, extending your life and achieving a satisfying lifestyle.

The medical literature is clear on this fact. Patients who are morbidly obese can significantly improve their health by reducing obesity-related illnesses and therefore, prolong their lifespan. However, the key factor to improving health is maintaining weight loss, once achieved. Surgical weight reduction approaches have consistently been shown to produce effective and durable weight loss.

Surgical Options for Morbid Obesity

The Bariatric Center at Memorial Hospital now offers hope to the clinically obese. Begin your journey towards your healthy life. The surgical treatment of obesity, bariatric surgery, is now considered "the most successful approach to rescuing patients from severe obesity and can reverse or prevent the development of diseases associated with

obesity."

A recent study reported at 10 years, surgical patients had significant and lasting weight loss and improvement in diabetes, lipid levels, HDL levels, and high blood pressure, compared with patients who tried conventional weight loss techniques. Another recent study showed that obesity surgery was associated with an 89% reduction in death when compared with death rates in morbidly obese

patients who did not have surgery.

Surgical treatment for severe obesity is not a cosmetic procedure. It is a tool, which involves reducing the size of the stomach and, in most procedures, involves bypassing a portion of the small intestine to

limit the amount of food that is absorbed.

The Bariatric Center at Memorial Hospital offers three bariatric surgical options:

Open, Laparoscopic, and da Vinci Robot Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass - A small stomach pouch is created by dividing the stomach and re-routing food into the small intestine. This method first creates a small stomach pouch. Then, a y-shaped section of the pouch is attached to the small intestine to limit the amount of food that is absorbed.

Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding - An adjustable silastic band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to form a smaller stomach section. This is done to restrict food intake.

Laparoscopic Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy – It generates weight loss by restricting the amount of food that you can eat by removing 85% or more of the stomach. This surgery is done without bypassing the intestines and it does not cause any gastrointestinal malabsorption.

Memorial Hospital also offers the newest advancement in surgery, the SILS technique (Single Incision) for those individuals that qualify and are having the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band or Laparoscopic Sleeve Gasterectomy.

The SILS™ approach is designed to make surgery less invasive by performing a single incision in the belly button instead of the multiple incisions utilized in standard laparoscopic surgery. The single incision SILS™ approach provides the potential for no visible scar, faster recovery time compared to other procedures, and potential elimination of pain associated with multiple points of entry.

The Journey

Surgery is only one piece of the solution by assisting patients with volume and caloric intake. The path towards a healthy lifestyle will have challenges and our program is designed to provide support at every step of your journey. Studies have shown behavior modification is one of the most critical components of any weight loss strategy.

Changing behavior related to eating, exercising and weight control is an obvious challenge. Memorial Hospital understands these issues and has assembled a dedicated team to make your program successful.

Our multi-disciplinary team includes your surgeon, a Bariatric Program Director, dietician, mental health professional, and exercise specialist who offer continuous compassionate support and guidance in an environment of utmost respect. The focus is to help each patient establish and achieve realistic goals.

Becoming a Patient

While a personal physician refers many patients, anyone is welcome to attend the program's complimentary educational seminars. These seminars provide an opportunity to learn about surgical intervention for weight loss.

Insurance

When a patient meets the medical criteria for morbid obesity, Medicare, HMO's and many private insurance companies may cover surgical treatment. If you have questions regarding insurance, contact your provider regarding coverage and benefits.

More information may be obtained by attending an Information Session held at the hospital campus.

Call 904-399-6360 for further information and session schedules, or visit www.bariatricsjax.com

References: 1 Bariatric surgery--quick fix or long-term solution; New England Journal of Medicine. 2004 Dec 23; 351 (26): 2751-3

Memorial Hospital: Fully Accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), Memorial's 353-bed full-service acute care facility offers a full range of medical and surgical services.