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 The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Saint
Joseph East in Lexington, Kentucky, has been designated by the
American Society of Bariatric Surgeons as a Center of
Excellence
. Our Center is a multidisciplinary bariatric
program focusing on laparoscopic gastric bypass. Our bariatric center cares for
the entire patient, from psychological needs to nutritional needs, and helps
them to use surgery as a tool to change their life.
According to the National Institutes of Health, bariatric surgery is the only
long-term effective treatment for morbid obesity. Diets, pills, and exercise are
not effective for 98 percent of those patients classified as morbidly obese,
which is defined as being 100 pounds over one's ideal weight and causing such
health problems as heart disease, diabetes, and depression.
With Kentucky being among the top ten states with patients who are morbidly
obese, the center serves a great need in the bluegrass, greatly impacting the
community. The Center for Weight Loss is located off Richmond Road in Lexington,
within the new Medical Office Building at Saint Joseph East. All appointments,
education and physician visits and consultations are located within the same
office space. The center provides a compassionate pathway through the evaluation
and hospital stay.
"Saint Joseph East provides a more protected environment for our patients,
who are often stigmatized due to their weight," says Karen Hillenmeyer, PA-C,
director of the program. "We provide a complete program which helps patients
understand their disease. We offer treatment, provide nationally accepted
standards of care for their treatment, and provide long-term follow-up that will
result in a life-changing event for them. We want our patients to live longer,
happier lives."
Patients at the Center for Weight Loss
Surgery visit with dietitians,
exercise physiologists, and psychologists, among other health care specialists,
who help evaluate co-morbidities (illnesses or conditions associated with
obesity) such as hypertension, heart disease, pulmonary disease, sleep apnea,
and diabetes.
The Saint Joseph East Center for Weight Loss
Surgery has a full time
dietician dedicated to the health and dietary needs of all patients before and
after the procedure. The center also enjoys the use of an in office gym as well
as the Saint Joseph Wellness Center at the Beaumont YMCA with a dedicated
private exercise program for our bariatric patients.
Dr. Edwin Nighbert, Dr. Joshua Steiner, Dr. Thomas Greenlee perform the
actual procedure- a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Over 95% of our procedures have
been performed laparoscopically with an average operating time of 1.5 hours.
While several operations have been performed for morbid obesity, the Roux-en-Y
is considered the safest and has the best long-term results.
"This procedure has proven to have the safest and most effective weight loss
and maintenance of that weight loss," says Karen Hillenmeyer, PA-C.
"The long term results are quite remarkable in terms of reversal of
co-morbidities and sustained weight loss," concurs Dr. Nighbert, an experienced
and skilled laparoscopic surgeon, who has performed more than 5500 other
laparoscopic procedures.
For more information about The Center for Weight
Loss Surgery, or to register for our free Introductory Seminar, call
859.967.5520.
Medical Office Building at Saint Joseph East
160 North Eagle Creek
Drive
Suite 201
Lexington, KY 40509
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