Bariatric program expands to complete weight-loss heart

The Metabolic & Weight Administration Heart is now open in Southern Pines and provides new medical assets for surgical and nonsurgical weight reduction.

A three way partnership between Pinehurst Surgical Clinic, FirstHealth of the Carolinas and Pinehurst Medical Clinic, the middle is exclusive to the world and one among only some complete metabolic facilities in North Carolina.

Situated off Morganton Street, at 300 Pavilion Manner, Suite 102, the Metabolic & Weight Administration Heart opened to sufferers in February, with the addition of medical weight administration companies in April. The Heart is an enlargement of the FirstHealth Bariatrics program, based in 1999, and the brand new title and constructing mark an essential enlargement of capabilities.

Alex Bonnecaze, M.D., a Pinehurst Medical Clinic endocrinologist has joined David Grantham, M.D., and Raymond Washington, M.D., Pinehurst Surgical Clinic bariatric surgeons, to type an interdisciplinary staff of physicians. All three are extremely skilled and board-certified.

“There was a rising want to supply nonsurgical choices for weight reduction,” Dr. Washington mentioned. “Surgical procedure just isn’t the popular strategy for each affected person, and the addition of medical weight administration permits us to nonetheless deal with people who both usually are not surgical candidates or want to strive one other route first.”

Increasing companies and bringing an endocrinologist on board additionally creates the chance to supply higher, extra streamlined affected person care.

Endocrinology, or the research and administration of hormones, will help non-surgically deal with the complicated illness of weight problems. Dr. Bonnecaze provides a wide range of instruments for medical weight administration, together with anti-obesity drugs. He works one on one with sufferers to find out a super therapy plan for his or her particular state of affairs. Individualized plans might embody lab work, therapy of obesity-related problems and help altering habits that inhibit weight reduction.

Nonsurgical sufferers additionally obtain steering from a registered dietitian and customised weight-loss eating regimen plans.

“Having a wide range of instruments out there to help sufferers with their weight helps us present the perfect care to deal with every particular person affected person, and determine which strategy works for them,” Dr. Bonnecaze mentioned.

Each surgical and nonsurgical sufferers work with the Heart’s multidisciplinary staff, which features a program supervisor, program specialist, licensed scientific social employee, registered nurse, skilled affected person navigators and registered dietitians.

“The staff strategy and complete care we offer units us other than different weight-loss packages,” Dr. Grantham mentioned. “We deal with entire particular person well being and completely deal with each facet of our sufferers’ wants.”

Drs. Grantham and Washington use a twin surgeon strategy and have carried out practically 1,500 bariatric surgical procedures collectively. Surgical procedures out there on the Heart embody Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy. Each surgical procedures may be carried out laparoscopically and robotically.

Further advantages of the surgical program embody:

Complete, preoperative training and hands-on vitamin courses;

Month-to-month help teams led by behavioral coach;

Entry to a devoted nurse line with each day postoperative cellphone name follow-ups;

Entry to behavioral employees to help adaptive outcomes;

Lifetime follow-up care by multidisciplinary staff.

All sufferers even have entry to retailer merchandise, together with protein and vitamin dietary supplements, in addition to vitamin and meals preparation courses led by registered dietitians within the Heart’s full-service kitchen.

As weight problems charges proceed to rise, entry to medical weight-loss packages that present profitable long-term outcomes is more and more essential. No less than 2.8 million individuals die every year on account of residing with weight problems and its associated circumstances, in keeping with the World Well being Group.

“Making a complete heart is one thing we’ve been working towards for a very long time,” mentioned program supervisor Christi Embler, R.N., BSN, CBN. “We’ve all the time had the imaginative and prescient to serve the neighborhood at a higher degree and are pleased to have these capabilities now.”

For extra details about the Metabolic & Weight Administration Heart, name (910) 725-7966 or go to www.WeightLossNC.org. Pinehurst Surgical Clinic and Pinehurst Medical Clinic suppliers are below contract with FirstHealth Metabolic & Weight Administration Heart.

Function picture: Staff celebrates the grand opening of The Metabolic & Weight Administration Heart in Southern Pines. Photograph supplied.

Contributed.