At Catholic Medical Center, our focus is on improving the health and lives of our patients and community members. A major, and growing, health problem we all face is the increasing number of individuals who are overweight or obese. Morbid obesity is defined as being 100% or 100 pounds over ideal body weight (IBW), a standard derived from insurance actuarial tables. Another measure of morbid obesity is whether a person has a body mass index (BMI) above 40--about 100 pounds overweight for men and 80 pounds overweight for women. People with a BMI between 35 and 40 often have significant and life-threatening health problems including cardiovascular disease; type II diabetes; severe sleep apnea and abnormal lung function; arthritis, lower back pain, or chronic joint pain or deterioration; and liver and gallbladder disease.

The Obesity Treatment Center at Catholic Medical Center, now a designated Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, is a comprehensive program designed to help individuals in their weight loss journey. Our program includes behavioral (including group support), nutritional, and exercise intervention as well as surgical intervention. After a comprehensive physical and psychological evaluation, a program is developed for each patient that meets his or her individual needs. In some cases, this may involve a recommendation for gastric bypass surgery or LAP-BAND® System.

 

If a patient is determined to be a candidate for gastric bypass surgery or LAP-BAND® System after evaluation, he or she will work closely with a team comprised of a nurse practitioner, internal medicine physician, nutritionist, surgeon, and psychologist. This team and the patient will work hand-in-hand throughout the surgical process, which often takes up to a year. Unlike other programs which are strictly focused on surgery, the CMC approach offers guidance and support before, during, and after gastric bypass surgery or LAP-BAND® System.

If an individual is determined not to be a candidate for surgery, the Obesity Treatment Center will develop a weight loss program designed specifically for that individual.

There are no guarantees for any method, including surgery, to produce and maintain weight loss. Success is possible only with maximum cooperation and commitment to behavioral change and medical follow-up - and this cooperation and commitment must be carried out for the rest of a patient's life.