Your health is important. However, if you are overweight or obese, you are at risk of developing serious illness. You could suffer a heart attack, stroke, hypertension or any number of serious ailments. You could develop diabetes or gallbladder disease.

If you are overweight or obese, you are not alone. About two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. The epidemic is not limited to women: Anyone 100 pounds over their ideal weight is considered obese. But there is hope – and there is help – for losing weight and keeping it off. That is why the Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center at The Memorial Hospital of Salem County is offering a comprehensive, multidisciplinary surgical approach to helping both men and women reach their weight loss goals.

At the Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center, medically supervised weight loss is safe and effective. The weight loss surgical procedures at the center are performed by an experienced, fellowship-trained and board certified bariatric surgeon, who is supported by a team of specialists who provide bariatric patients with the best possible surgical weight loss care.

Why choose us?

The Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center offers top quality care at a convenient, close-to-home location in Salem, NJ. Weight loss surgery is a life-long commitment. Having surgery close to home makes it easy for patients to return to the hospital for follow-up care and support. At the Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center, bariatric patients receive the TLC that they need to lose weight and keep it off, both before and after weight loss surgery.

The center prides itself on its multidisciplinary approach. It provides patients with not only surgical weight loss procedures performed by fellowship-trained and board certified bariatric surgeon Dr. Harish Kakkilaya, but also the services of a nutritionist, psychologist, endocrinologist and weight loss care director. Specialists at the center work together to bring you the best possible care in a well-rounded, community-based approach that meets all your weight loss needs.

The community approach at the Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center extends beyond surgery and into your everyday life. The center provides monthly support groups, informational seminars and nutritional and psychological evaluations. These events can assist you in devising your weight loss goals, and in determining how you will maintain your ideal weight, post-surgery.

At the Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center, you’re never alone in losing weight. A medical professional is always available to help guide you and assist you in reaching your surgical weight loss goals.

What surgical options does the center offer?

The center offers advanced minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. This surgery is performed with the smallest incision possible. It promotes faster healing, which provides shorter recovery time and a shorter stay in the hospital after surgery. This means that you can return home to love ones more quickly following weight loss surgery.

The weight loss surgical procedures offered at the center include:
–Gastric banding
–Gastric bypass
–Sleeve gastrectomy

Each surgical procedure offers unique options for weight loss, and should be discussed with our clinical staff to learn which medically supervised surgical weight loss option is right for you.

 

How Do I know if I'm a Candidate for Weight Loss Surgery?

Criteria for Surgical Candidates
To be a candidate for weight-loss surgery, you must:

• Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or greater, or weigh 100 or more pounds over your ideal body weight.
• Have a BMI between 35-40, and have at least two significant co-morbidities (associated illnesses) such as diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and sleep apnea.
• Be between the ages of 18 and 65.
• Not be drug or alcohol dependent, or have at least one year of sobriety.
• Have a personal ongoing commitment to improve your health and lifestyle

What makes us different from other weight loss surgical centers?

The weight loss choices that you make have a major impact on your health – and your life. When you have a surgical weight loss procedure, you should choose a weight loss center where you feel comfortable and confident that you will receive the best possible care, before, during and after surgery.

At the Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center, we put patients first. Our clinical staff has received sensitivity training on bariatric issues and knows how to counsel and assist patients in making surgical weight loss decisions. We also know how to help patients achieve life-long weight loss goals, not only in taking the weight off, but keeping it off.

We know the needs of bariatric patients and help them make important surgical decisions.

In addition, our center features “bariatric champions,” a novel approach to bariatric nursing care. Our nursing staff is specially trained in bariatric treatment and follow-up care to serve you through every step of the surgical process. Each nurse at the center is known as a “champion,” assisting in all aspects of bariatric care.

Surgical weight loss can change your life. The Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center offers patients an opportunity to obtain the most effective tool – surgery – to losing weight and keeping it off. The surgical procedures offered at the center are safe and effective, providing an excellent method of achieving life-long health and long-term wellness.

You might be at risk for developing a serious illness if you are overweight or obese. But with the help of the clinical team at the Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center, you have choices – and a chance at a healthier life.

For more information about the Salem Surgical Weight Loss Center, contact Theresa Vaughn, Bariatric Coordinator, at 856-339-6014.