Free Information Session Offered on Adjustable Gastric Banding
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene surgeons Donald Dupuis, MD (left) and Michael Ormont, MD, discuss the gastric banding procedure with physician assistant Pam Morrison, the program's manager.
Keene, NH- Cheshire Medical Center’s Bariatric Surgical Team will host a free public information session on adjustable gastric banding, a surgical treatment for obesity, on Tuesday, August 3, at 6:30 pm in the North Conference Rooms of Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene.
Adjustable gastric banding is a treatment option for severely obese adults between the ages of 18 and 65 who weigh less than 425 pounds. Individuals must have been unable to achieve weight loss through changes in diet and exercise to be considered candidates for this medical treatment.
“My doctor didn’t give me long to live,” said Edmund of Keene who was treated with an adjustable gastric band about seven months ago. “I was pushing 380 pounds. Now I’ve lost 110 pounds. I eat mostly fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”
Unlike gastric bypass, gastric banding does not involve stomach cutting, stapling or intestinal re-routing. Using laparoscopic surgical techniques, the band is placed around the top portion of the patient’s stomach, creating a small pouch.
By reducing the stomach’s capacity, the banding helps patients achieve long-term weight loss because they feel satisfied after eating smaller portions. The band is adjustable, which means that the inflatable band can be tightened or loosened to accommodate a person’s feelings of hunger and satisfaction. It is also reversible and can be removed at any time.
Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene Surgeons Donald Dupuis MD, Michael Ormont, MD, have successfully performed Adjustable Gastric Banding on more than 100 patients. Physician Assistant Patricia Morrison, PA-C assists the surgeons and provides an added resource to the patients undergoing the weight-reduction surgery.
Members of the Bariatric Treatment team will be on hand for the June information session to offer specific information about the procedure and answer questions. The procedure is covered by many health and insurance plans. For information about Adjustable Gastric Banding, call 603-354-6504 or visit us online at cheshire-med.com.
Changes in Eligibility for the New Hampshire Veterans Home Opens Admission to More Veterans
TILTON, NH – A new bill, which will take effect in August, was recently passed by the New Hampshire state legislature and will greatly expand eligibility for the New Hampshire Veterans Home. Under the new law, all veterans who have been have been honorably discharged, including Reserve and NH Air and Army National Guard members, will be eligible to apply. In the past, eligibility for admission to the New Hampshire Veterans Home required that a veteran serve a minimum of 90 days in the military on active duty, during a “time of war.”
The State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee felt “It was time to honor and recognize the above service members in our state and allow them access to the same services to which others who have served our country are currently entitled.”
Additional admission criteria include the following:
- The applicant must have been a resident of the State of New Hampshire for one (1) year preceding his or her application, or can prove New Hampshire as home of record upon discharge.
- The applicant’s condition(s) must be within the Home’s resources and ability to treat, and the applicant may not present potential harm to self or other residents.
- Financial Certification: The applicant must meet income guidelines. Information is available by contacting the Admissions Coordinators: Ellen Douville and Shirley Ray at 527-4400.
NHVH Commandant Barry Conway said, “The New Hampshire Veterans Home is very pleased with this change in the law. We can now encourage applications from many other veterans and look forward to serving them in the future.”
DiGiorgio Associates & Monitor Builders Go for the Gold!
Firm Signs-On as $5000 Gold Sponsor of LRGHealthcare Golf Classic
LRGHealthcare President & CEO Tom Clairmont (center) welcomes and thanks the DiGiorgio Associates/Monitor Builders team for signing-on as a $5,000 Gold Sponsor of the LRGHealthcare Golf Classic, presented by Laconia Savings Bank. All proceeds raised from the August 16 event benefit the HealthLink Program. Represented in the photo are DiGiorgio Associates & Monitor Builders owners Steve Kovacs & John Weaver (back row); Vice President Wayne Pelletier; and Senior Project Architect Brad Cardoso.
LACONIA, NH – DiGiorgio Associates, Inc. & Monitor Builders, Inc. recently signed-on as a $5,000 Gold Sponsor of the LRGHealthcare Golf Classic. Presented by Laconia Savings Bank, this sell-out event will be held Monday, August 16 at the Laconia Country Club. All proceeds will benefit the HealthLink Program.
A partnership between LRGHealthcare, local providers, and service agencies, HealthLink helps to ensure that finances are not a barrier to accessing needed healthcare services for thousands of people in our community.
DiGiorgio Associates Inc. (DAI) & Monitor Builders Inc. (MBI) provide quality healthcare planning, design, and construction management services. They have a long history of providing imaginative solutions with thoughtful consideration to an organization’s function and feasibility. “HealthLink is a vital resource to so many this community and we are committed to providing LRGHealthcare the support they need to sustain this valuable program,” explains DAI’s CEO, John Weaver.
LRGHealthcare Announces the First Recipient of the New Innovations in Safety Award 2010
Pictured Above are President & CEO Tom Clairmont; Chief of Staff Dr. Peter Walkley; and VP of Patient Care & Surgical Services Ellen Wolff with Elaine Cartier and the Staff of South Three.
LACONIA, NH: Physicians, providers and the employees at LRGHealthcare are vital to keeping our community healthy. It is their skill, warmth, and quick thinking that enable them to care for our friends, neighbors and loved ones here in the Lakes Region.
LRGHealthcare recognizes their commitment and dedication to our community.
LRGHealthcare would like to announce the first recipient of the new Innovations in Safety Award, are Elaine Cartier and the Staff of South 3, who were recognized for implementing a new Patient Care Program.
This new award program is open to anyone at LRGHealthcare, and it recognizes those who provide safety solutions that make our environment and the environment of the patients at LRGHealthcare a safer place to work and to visit. In a ceremony held on June 23, 2010 they were awarded a gift, certificate and engraved plaque that will be showcased in the lobby of LRGH.
The goals of the Innovations in Safety Awards are:
- To honor innovative practices, programs, projects and personal ideas within LRGHealthcare.
- To communicate these ideas to members and staff throughout LRGHealthcare and the community.
- To raise the profile and importance of safety programs both inside and outside the LRGHealthcare organization.
Hospital Expands Capacity
On August 8, 2010, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (APD) will expand its capacity by five (5) beds in order to consolidate the care currently given in the Rehabilitation and Enhanced Care Center (RECC) under the hospital’s license. “We will be providing the same levels of care for the same number of patients, but in the hospital setting,” said Harry Dorman, Hospital President and CEO. Restructuring APD’s delivery of care allows it to better meet the needs of patients, position the organization for regulatory and healthcare reform, and more efficiently use its available resources.
The consolidation will enable APD to fully utilize its 25 licensed hospital beds. Projections for future needs of services for those the hospital serves in the Upper Valley indicate that the new configuration will be more than adequate. It also allows the hospital to convert most of its medical-surgical beds to single-occupancy rooms, enhancing the quality of care with a lowered risk of infection and increased privacy.
Alice Peck Day will see other improvements from this transition. The move will help to prepare the hospital for anticipated health care reform by creating operational efficiencies. Dorman said, “We believe that consolidating acute and sub-acute patient services under one license is a responsible approach to addressing the stresses affecting hospitals today.”
Most of the RECC staff will be offered positions in the expanded Medical-Surgical Unit; however, APD will reduce its 500-member staff by eight positions as a result of the reorganization. “We regret this loss,” Dorman said, “but we will be assisting these employees with severance packages and are committed to helping them obtain other positions.”
In voting unanimously for the reconfiguration, the Board of Trustees expressed its confidence that this consolidation of services will enable APD to become a stronger community hospital while continuing to provide the personal and excellent clinical care for which it is known.
