Mercy Health – Lorain’s surgical bariatric and weight management program recently performed its 100th surgical procedure, hitting a new milestone since the program was launched in late 2022. Mercy Health – Lorain started its surgical bariatric and weight management program with the hiring of Dr. Jeffrey Landers, a bariatric surgeon with more than 26 years of experience.
“Dr. Landers, and his decades of experience, have brought Mercy Health’s surgical bariatrics program to life,” said Dr. James Kravec, chief clinical officer for Mercy Health – Lorain and Youngstown. “With more than 9,000 of surgeries performed over the course of his career, we are most proud of his latest accomplishments in growing bariatric and weight loss surgery in Lorain so that patients can receive the care they need without having to travel far from home.”
Studies show obesity affects more than one-third of Americans, and it is the second-leading cause of preventable death in the United States. More than 48 percent of Americans are obese, and more than 18 percent are morbidly obese (at least 100 pounds overweight). With the massive increase in the rate of obesity over the last 30 years, there has also been a significant increase in the rate of diabetes, which can also add to the physical and financial toll of obesity.
“It is important to understand the processes that cause obesity and how our bodies resist weight loss and fight for weight re-gain. The consensus among obesity physicians is that obesity is a chronic disease that requires daily treatment and multi-modal therapy just like other chronic diseases. The most successful patients will use a combination of medicines, surgery, diet, exercise and sleep changes. Of the tools we have, surgery is the most powerful at interrupting the harmful biologic mechanisms that cause obesity and weight re-gain. The rates of long-term healthy weight maintenance for obesity patients are dramatically higher for surgery patients than for those who use diet, exercise and medicines alone,” Dr. Landers said.
He added, “As we continue to build on our early success, our sights remain set on establishing a Bariatric Center of Excellence, where we can provide the highest level of care to patients in need in a location close to home.”
Mercy Health – Lorain is focused on the continued growth of this bariatrics program to bring much needed care to the people of Lorain and its surrounding communities. In addition to launching the program in 2022, Mercy Health added robotic surgery in early 2023 – the first which was a bariatric procedure performed by Dr. Landers. This advanced technology bolsters Mercy Health’s surgical programs and greatly benefits patients by offering less invasive procedures that generate better outcomes for patients experiencing obesity, diabetes, hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD).
Learn more about Mercy Health’s bariatric care and weight management services.