The Weight Loss Surgery Program at Rockwood Clinic and Sacred Heart Medical Center, led by Rockwood surgeons, has been working with obese patients since 2000. More than 800 patients have successfully lost thousands of pounds with the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure offered through the Weight Loss Surgery Program.
Patients benefit from a support group, nutrition counseling and intensive pre-operative education. They learn about making necessary lifestyle changes and begin a weight loss regimen before surgery occurs. Surgical candidates go through an extensive screening process to determine whether further dietary management is indicated before surgery. The decision to proceed to surgery is followed by months of pre-surgery education, nutrition guidance, counseling and other health services.
The program has a Center of Excellence designation from the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ABS). This designation is limited to surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.
Rockwood surgeons R. Andrew Bright, M.D. and Mathew Rawlins, M.D., and Sacred Heart Medical Center's Weight Loss Surgery Program has been named a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS). This designation is limited to surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.
To earn a Center of Excellence (COE) designation, Rockwood Clinic bariatric surgeons Bright and Rawlins and Sacred Heart underwent an exhaustive evaluation including a site inspection during which all aspects of the program's surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes was collected and reviewed. (read more about the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence)
The Weight Loss Surgery Program is a service provided by our general surgery department. Bariatric (weight loss) surgery will require you to carefully consider the long-term commitments you will be making in order achieve optimal health.
Our physicians are specifically trained to meet the needs of the surgical weight loss patient. Both Dr. Andrew Bright and Dr. Mathew Rawlins are board certified and are active members of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Their commitment to your care is demonstrated on a daily basis.
To receive information about the Weight Loss Surgery Program, contact Theresa at (509) 838-2531 ext. 2606.
Bariatric Surgery Informational Session
Each month, the Rockwood Clinic bariatric surgeons hold a free informational presentation starting at 5:30 p.m., at the Rockwood Clinic South Satellite office in the Sacred Heart Hospital Doctor's Building, located at 105 W. 8th Avenue, Suite 7070, Spokane. Ads appear the week before each session in the local newspapers specifying the session date. This is a free presentation, but reservations are required. Please call Theresa at (509) 838-2531, ext. 2606 for reservations, information about the meeting dates and Weight Loss Surgery Program services. This informational session is open to all and not limited to Rockwood Clinic patients.
Bariatric Support Group
A Bariatric Support Group is available to patients, or those persons seeking support prior to surgery, and is always held the third Thursday of each month, at the Sacred Heart Doctors Building, in Suite 7070.
What Is Obesity?
Obesity results from the excessive accumulation of fat that exceeds the body's skeletal and physical standards. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an increase in 20 percent or more above your ideal body weight is the point at which excess weight becomes a health risk. Today 97 million Americans, more than one-third of the adult population, are overweight or obese. An estimated five to 10 million of those are considered severely obese.
What Is Severe or Morbid Obesity?
Obesity becomes severe or "morbid" when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases (also known as co-morbidities) that result either in significant physical disability or even death. As you read about morbid obesity you may also see the term "clinically severe obesity" used. Both are descriptions of the same condition and can be used interchangeably. Severe or morbid obesity is typically defined as being 100 pounds or more over ideal body weight or having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher. According to the National Institutes of Health Consensus Report, morbid obesity is a serious disease and must be treated as such. It is a chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time.
Learn more:
Severe Obesity
Treatment Options
Weight Loss Surgery
The Weight Loss Surgery Program at Sacred Heart and Rockwood Clinic has received the Center of Excellence designation from the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.
Locations
Rockwood Surgical Group:
Sacred Heart Doctors Building
105 West 8th Avenue, Suite 7070
Spokane, WA 99204
TEL: (509) 838-2531
FAX: (509) 363-3032
Map this location
Featured Provider
Jonathan D. Spitz, M.D., FACS
Jonathan D. Spitz, M.D., FACS, general surgery, joined the Rockwood Clinic surgery group in September 2008. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, and his medical degree from the Medical Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, MI. Dr. Spitz completed his surgical training at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. He then completed specialty fellowship training in minimally invasive surgery/endoscopy at St. Vincent Medical Center in Indianapolis, IN. His professional interests include minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgery, hernia repair, and surgery for morbid obesity. Dr. Spitz belongs to the American Board of Surgery, American College of Surgeons, International College of Surgeons, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the American Medical Association. Prior to joining Rockwood, Dr. Spitz worked in the Chicago area for eight years.
Learn More about Jonathan D. Spitz
View all Weight Loss Surgery Center Providers