Transform Your Life: Achieve Weight Loss with Sentara’s Lifestyle Strategies and da Vinci Robotic Surgery

Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions directs patients towards optimal selections

New Year’s resolutions frequently encompass weight reduction. For some individuals, it’s a few additional pounds gained during the festivities. For others, it’s a crucial matter of life or death.

Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions can serve as a solution for patients grappling with obesity and related ailments like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.

The program might comprise medically monitored weight loss with pharmacological treatments, diet, and lifestyle modifications, or it could involve surgery utilizing Sentara’s cutting-edge da Vinci robotic surgical systems.

“The da Vinci robot provides us unmatched dexterity and accuracy,” stated Michael McCormick, M.D., a general surgeon at Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, Va.

Sentara CarePlex presents the sole robotic weight loss surgery initiative on the Virginia Peninsula, paired with the Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions service.

A recent community health needs evaluation revealed that, based on the region, up to 40% of the adult demographic on the Peninsula faces challenges with obesity.

“Robotic surgery allows patients to recover more swiftly with reduced discomfort compared to traditional laparoscopic procedures, enabling them to become mobile sooner, thereby increasing their chances for a successful weight loss journey,” Dr. McCormick elaborated.

“However, surgery is not a solitary event. Patients must commit to adopting a healthier lifestyle to ensure long-term success.”

This is where a holistic program like Sentara’s provides optimism.

“Surgery cannot mitigate the effects of a poor diet or an unhealthy way of life,” indicated Pamela Blanchard, a nurse practitioner with Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions at Sentara CarePlex Hospital.

“We formulate a plan tailored to individual aims and aspirations, considering their starting point and previous attempts.”

Some patients may shy away from surgical options, prompting the team to create a medical weight loss plan that revolves around prescription medications, dietary adjustments, and healthy lifestyle changes to reach the desired outcome.

“We inquire about their lives regarding work and family, along with all other variables that may influence weight management challenges,” Blanchard added. “Then, we determine a plan that is feasible for them. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Our facilities offer tools, products, and procedures to enhance patients’ overall health, including da Vinci robotic surgery at Sentara CarePlex Hospital, where Dr. McCormick brings extensive experience in robotic-assisted weight loss surgery.

“Surgery redefines your new normal,” McCormick said.

“I’m interested in understanding how my patients fare five to ten years following their surgeries. Adopting new technologies like da Vinci enables us to deliver an optimal patient experience, which in turn helps our program achieve exceptional results.”