Adolescent patients in Northeast Georgia now have access to a new, comprehensive weight-loss program at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC). NGMC’s Bariatric Weight Loss Center recently earned an additional accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), making the program one of only two programs in Georgia to be nationally accredited in surgery, adolescent surgery and obesity medicine.
The MBSAQIP is a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. NGMC has been accredited by MBSAQIP for its adult program since 2006. This accreditation acknowledges NGMC’s commitment to quality improvement and patient safety in the areas of adult and adolescent bariatric surgery and obesity medicine.
“Childhood obesity is an epidemic plaguing our nation,” said Robert Richard, MD, medical director for the Bariatric Weight Loss Center at NGMC. “We’ve assembled a collaborative team committed to providing individualized care tailored to our younger patients throughout their weight-loss journey – regardless of whether they choose the surgical or nonsurgical route.”
Adolescent weight-loss patients will have access to a variety of team members through the program at NGMC, including a pediatric medical advisor, bariatric surgeon, dietician, pediatric psychologist and athletic trainer. Surgical weight-loss options are available for patients ages 15 and older and medical weight-loss options are available for patients ages seven and older.
For more information on adolescent weight-loss services at NGMC, visit www.nghs.com/adolescent-weight-loss.
About Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Since 1951, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has been on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. With hospitals located in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder, Dahlonega and Demorest, the five NGMC campuses have a total of more than 850 beds and more than 1,300 medical staff members representing more than 60 specialties. NGMC is part of Northeast Georgia Health System, a non-profit that cares for more than one million people across more than 19 counties. Learn more at nghs.com.