Losing weight with Sentara through lifestyle changes and robotic surgery
Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions guides patients to best choices
New Year’s resolutions often include losing weight. For some people, it’s some extra pounds they put on over the holidays. For others, it’s a life-and-death decision.
Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions can be the answer for patients battling obesity and resulting conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
The program may include medically supervised weight loss with medications, diet, and lifestyle, or it may include surgery using Sentara’s state-of-the-art da Vinci robotic surgical systems.
“The da Vinci robot gives us unparalleled dexterity and precision,” said Michael McCormick, M.D., a general surgeon at Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, Va.
Sentara CarePlex offers the only robotic weight loss surgery program on the Virginia Peninsula, coupled with the Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions service.
A recent community health needs assessment indicated that, depending on the locality, up to 40% of the adult population on the Peninsula has issues with obesity.
“Robotic surgery helps patients recover faster with less pain than traditional laparoscopic surgery, so they’re up and moving sooner, which gives them a greater opportunity for a successful weight loss journey,” Dr. McCormick added.
“But surgery is not a one-off. Patients have to commit to a healthier lifestyle to make it work long-term.”
That’s where a comprehensive program like Sentara’s offers hope.
“Surgery cannot overcome a bad diet or an unhealthy lifestyle,” said Pamela Blanchard, a nurse practitioner with Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions at Sentara CarePlex Hospital.
“We design a plan based on individual goals and expectations, where they’re starting from and what they’ve tried before.”
Some patients won’t consider surgery, so the team designs a medical weight loss plan around prescription medications, diet modification, and healthy lifestyle changes to achieve a desired result.
“We ask about their life in terms of work and family and all the other factors that may contribute to weight management issues,” Blanchard added. “Then we ask them what’s a plan they can work with. It’s not one size fits all.”
Our facilities provide tools, products, and procedures to improve patients’ total health, including da Vinci robotic surgery at Sentara CarePlex Hospital, where Dr. McCormick brings years of experience in robotic-assisted weight loss surgery.
“Surgery resets your new normal,” McCormick said.
“I want to know how my patients are doing five and ten years after their surgeries. Embracing new technologies like da Vinci helps us provide an optimal patient experience, and that helps our program achieve great outcomes.”
Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions can be the answer for patients battling obesity and resulting conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
The program may include medically supervised weight loss with medications, diet, and lifestyle, or it may include surgery using Sentara’s state-of-the-art da Vinci robotic surgical systems.
“The da Vinci robot gives us unparalleled dexterity and precision,” said Michael McCormick, M.D., a general surgeon at Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, Va.
Sentara CarePlex offers the only robotic weight loss surgery program on the Virginia Peninsula, coupled with the Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions service.
A recent community health needs assessment indicated that, depending on the locality, up to 40% of the adult population on the Peninsula has issues with obesity.
“Robotic surgery helps patients recover faster with less pain than traditional laparoscopic surgery, so they’re up and moving sooner, which gives them a greater opportunity for a successful weight loss journey,” Dr. McCormick added.
“But surgery is not a one-off. Patients have to commit to a healthier lifestyle to make it work long-term.”
That’s where a comprehensive program like Sentara’s offers hope.
“Surgery cannot overcome a bad diet or an unhealthy lifestyle,” said Pamela Blanchard, a nurse practitioner with Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions at Sentara CarePlex Hospital.
“We design a plan based on individual goals and expectations, where they’re starting from and what they’ve tried before.”
Some patients won’t consider surgery, so the team designs a medical weight loss plan around prescription medications, diet modification, and healthy lifestyle changes to achieve a desired result.
“We ask about their life in terms of work and family and all the other factors that may contribute to weight management issues,” Blanchard added. “Then we ask them what’s a plan they can work with. It’s not one size fits all.”
Our facilities provide tools, products, and procedures to improve patients’ total health, including da Vinci robotic surgery at Sentara CarePlex Hospital, where Dr. McCormick brings years of experience in robotic-assisted weight loss surgery.
“Surgery resets your new normal,” McCormick said.
“I want to know how my patients are doing five and ten years after their surgeries. Embracing new technologies like da Vinci helps us provide an optimal patient experience, and that helps our program achieve great outcomes.”
By: Dale Gauding