Center for Weight Loss and Metabolic Health at Hackensack University Medical Center Ribbon Cutting
Newswise — HACKENSACK, N.J. October 11, 2023 — Hackensack University Medical Center has established the Center for Weight Loss and Metabolic Health, an integrated program to help people who have struggled to lose weight to achieve and maintain their weight loss goals. The program brings together specialists from different areas to offer multiple weight loss techniques, with each patient's personal plan customized to their needs.
With obesity affecting more than 2 in 5 adults in the United States, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Dr. Schmidt says, like with any chronic disease, it is crucial to receive the right diagnosis and explore all treatment treatment options, under the right supervision of a dedicated, caring and compassionate team.
"Weight management is not one size fits all," explains Hans J. Schmidt, MD, who leads the Center. "Patients may need a program that integrates more than one approach to achieve the best results."
Each patient starts with a pre screening evaluation to assess their medical history and metabolic health, survey their prior weight loss techniques, and screen for sleep apnea. They then meet with a healthcare professional matched to their individual needs, who customizes a plan of care that may include services such as:
- Nutritional counseling
- Weight loss medications
- Weight loss surgery
- Exercise guidance
- Dietary supplements
Patients may benefit from the expertise of endocrinologists, bariatric surgeons, registered dietitians, sleep medicine experts, cardiologists, and fitness experts, among others — all through one center. At monthly visits, each patient's progress is assessed as well as their ability to make the recommended behavioral and dietary changes.
People with a BMI of 27 or more who have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight on their own are eligible to participate in the program. Overweight and obese patients with weight-related medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease are also eligible.
“I struggled with being overweight for years,” says 67 year old Steve Sussmann, who at the height of his weight of more than 280 pounds had diabetes, asthma, pain in his hips and ankles, and sleep apnea. “I used to look at these things as separate conditions and then I realized that all of the issues I had were symptoms of morbid obesity.”
In a consultation with doctors, Steve says he was advised it would be nearly impossible for him to lose the excess weight and keep it off with just diet and exercise. “And so we decided that I would most benefit from weight-loss surgery,” explains Steve, who 10 years after having a bariatric sleeve procedure, has not only learned to keep the weight off through proper diet and exercise, but he also no longer needs medication for high blood pressure or asthma.
“After years of struggling, that one consultation changed my life,” says Steve who celebrated his weight loss with a trip to Amsterdam where he walked and biked all over the city. “I have no doubt that other people who suffer from excessive fat accumulation presenting a risk to their health, will benefit from the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan devised by this team at the new Center for Weight Loss and Metabolic Health.”
"The team at the Center for Weight Loss and Metabolic Health understands that weight loss is a lengthy journey," asserted Dr. Schmidt. "We are committed to staying on that journey with each person for as long as it takes."
For an interview with an expert and patient from the Center for Weight Loss and Metabolic Health please contact [email protected].
People interested in more information and those wishing to schedule a pre screening may call 551-996-4424.
ABOUT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Hackensack University Medical Center, a 803-bed nonprofit teaching and research hospital, was Bergen County’s first hospital founded in 1888. It was also the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet®-recognized hospital for nursing excellence, receiving its sixth consecutive designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The academic flagship of the Hackensack Meridian Health network, Hackensack University Medical Center is Nationally-Ranked by U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 in four specialties, more than any other hospital in New Jersey. The hospital is home to the state's only nationally-ranked Urology and Neurology & Neurosurgery programs, as well as the best Cardiology & Heart Surgery program. It also offers patients nationally-ranked Orthopedic care and one of the state’s premier Cancer Centers (John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center). Hackensack University Medical Center also ranked as High-Performing in conditions such as Acute Kidney Failure, Heart Attack (AMI), Heart Failure, Pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Diabetes and Stroke. As well as High Performing in procedures like Aortic Valve Surgery, Heart Bypass Surgery (CABG), Colon Cancer Surgery, Lung Cancer Surgery, Prostate Cancer Surgery, Hip Replacement and Knee Replacement. Named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals 2023 list, Hackensack University Medical Center is also the recipient of the 2023 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ by Healthgrades as well as an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group. This award-winning care is provided on a campus that is home to facilities such as the Heart & Vascular Hospital; and the Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women’s and Children’s Pavilion, which houses the Donna A. Sanzari Women’s Hospital and the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, ranked #1 in the state and top 20 in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospital Report. Additionally, the children’s nephrology program ranks in the top 50 in the United States. Hackensack University Medical Center is also home to the Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center and is listed on the Green Guide’s list of Top 10 Green Hospitals in the U.S. Our comprehensive clinical research portfolio includes studies focused on precision medicine, translational medicine, immunotherapy, cell therapy, and vaccine development. The hospital has embarked on the largest healthcare expansion project ever approved by the state: Construction of the Helena Theurer Pavilion, a 530,000-sq.-ft., nine-story building, which began in 2019. A $714.2 million endeavor, the pavilion is one the largest healthcare capital projects in New Jersey and will house 24 state-of-the-art operating rooms with intraoperative MRI capability, 50 ICU beds, and 175 medical/surgical beds including a 50 room Musculoskeletal Institute.
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