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HMC WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM NOW OFFERS GASTRIC BALLOON

May 16, 2023

HMC WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM NOW OFFERS GASTRIC BALLOON

A Non-Surgical Solution to Assist Patients in Losing and Maintaining Weight

HOLYOKE – May 16, 2023 — The Holyoke Medical Center Weight Management Program is excited to begin offering a new solution to people struggling to achieve a healthy weight: the ORBERA® weight loss gastric balloon. Designed to manage portion control during a six-month placement period, patients have been shown to lose three times more weight than with diet and exercise alone.

Under the expert care of Dr. Yannis Raftopoulos, Dr. Martin Walko, and the HMC Weight Management Program team, weight loss patients now have another treatment option to help reach and maintain their healthy weight goals.

“A gastric balloon is designed to work together with lifestyle changes. It’s not a magic bullet where you put in a balloon and everything is perfect,” says Martin Walko, MD, a fellowship-trained bariatric and laparoscopic surgeon. “It’s used as part of a program that includes education, proper diet and increased activity.”

The non-permanent, minimally invasive gastric balloon is placed during an endoscopic outpatient procedure, allowing patients to go home the same day. A second endoscopic procedure is performed six months after placement to remove the device. The ORBERA gastric balloon is FDA approved, and is a safe and effective weight loss solution with over 20 years of global experience and real world results. More than 220,000 ORBERA balloons have been distributed worldwide in over 80 countries. Under current guidelines in the United States, candidates for a gastric balloon should have a body mass index (BMI—a weight-to-height ratio) of 30 to 40.

Insurance typically does not cover gastric balloons, making it a self-pay procedure. Holyoke Medical Center has competitively priced the procedure for patients in an effort to make it as accessible as possible for those suffering from obesity.

For additional information regarding the Holyoke Medical Center Weight Management Program, please visit holyokehealth.com/wmp. The practice is located at 11 Hospital Drive, Holyoke, and can be reached at 413.535.4757.

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