Columbus Regional Hospital - Health Matters

7 CRHEALTHCARE.ORG More an a Hpital GETTING TO THE NEW SURGICAL WEIGHT-LOSS PROGRAM AT COLUMBUS REGIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM CAN HELP PREVENT FUTURE ILLNESSES. More than one-third of U.S. adults are considered obese—a figure that's only getting, ahem, larger. "Obesity is truly an epidemic in this country," says Garrett Tolley, EP, BS, MEd, cardiac and pulmonary rehab services coordinator and surgical weight-loss coordinator at CRHS. "And it's no secret that being overweight comes with a myriad of other health issues. So if we can help patients live a longer, more productive life, then that's one of the most important things we can do as a hospital." A LIFE CHANGER To accommodate this need within the community, CRHS is starting a surgical weight-loss program. "This will be the first surgical weight-loss program not only for the hospital, but for Columbus County as well," says Chris Helak, DO, general surgeon with Walters Surgical Associates and medical director of the surgical weight-loss program at CRHS. "We're excited to be able to offer this new service to the community." To introduce this new service line, CRHS is hosting seminars twice a month to help people understand who could benefit the most from it. "We want people to understand first and foremost that weight-loss surgery isn't a magic pill but rather a multidisciplinary approach to losing weight," Dr. Helak says. "While surgery is a big part, it also requires diet, exercise and sometimes medication to get patients to where they need to be." By helping people lose weight, the goal is to reduce these patients' risk of developing or exacerbating conditions associated with obesity, such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis. Weight-loss surgery works by changing the anatomy of a person's stomach and digestive system. These changes can reduce a person's hunger while simultaneously increasing their sense of fullness. "We know that of all the options out there, surgical weight loss offers the best success rate when it comes to helping people lose a large amount of weight and keep it off," Dr. Helak says. "It really can be a life changer for many." Trying to decide if surgical weight loss is right for you? Sign up for a seminar at CRHS by contacting Garrett Tolley at 910-640-4611. Your Healthy Weight Are You a Candidate? To qualify for weight-loss surgery, a patient must possess a BMI greater than 40 (or have a BMI greater than 35 with one or more obesity-related conditions) and be unable to achieve consistent weight loss using alternative methods.

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