Officials with the Cass County Health System announced today (Tuesday) they are hosting a program with Iowa Weight Loss Specialists (IWLS) to provide information to area residents about effective weight loss options. The event will be held on September 28^th at 6:00 p.m. with a free informational session by IWLS medical staff for the public.

IWLS Director of Bariatric Surgery Dr. Todd Eibes, says “In Iowa, the prevalence of adult obesity is over 30%. Obesity increases the risk of having heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, which are the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. We are interested in being part of the solution to this medical epidemic right here in Iowa.”

In June of 2013, the American Medical Association (AMA) declared obesity a chronic disease, leading more patients to seek clinical obesity treatment options from their primary care providers. Physician supervision is necessary to detect and treat weight-related medical conditions, and physicians can provide a variety of options specialized to the patient’s individual weight-loss needs.

Alison Bruckner, Chief Operating Officer at Cass County Health System, says “Our primary care providers frequently counsel their patients on how losing excess weight can alleviate and sometimes even eliminate other health issues. Thanks to Dr. Eibes and his team, we can now refer appropriate patients to these weight loss experts who have proven success helping hundreds of Iowans live healthier lives.”

Although this is the first time the IWLS team has conducted an informational session in Cass County, a number of IWLS patients are from the Cass County area. In fact, IWLS’s 100^th weight loss surgery patient, Chase Roller, is from Atlantic.  As a probation/parole officer, as well as a coach for high school football and wrestling, Roller was motivated to live a more active and healthier life. But his weight (and the strain on his arthritic hip the weight caused) was holding him back. Now he says his only regret is not having the surgery 10 years ago.

“I did a lot of research before coming to Dr. Eibes,” Chase explained. “I wasn’t keen on gastric bypass surgery because I didn’t want my internal plumbing re-routed and I read lots of horror stories of side-effects. I didn’t want the lap-band surgery because I didn’t like the idea of a foreign material inside my body that could cause future complications. I went to one of Dr. Eibes’ informational sessions and decided this was the solution for me. I was so surprised at how quickly the weight came off. I lost 160 pounds in 6 months. It’s amazing!”

Dr. Eibes and his team are offering a free informational session at Cass County Memorial Hospital on September 28^th, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. in Conference Room 2.  Advance registration is appreciated, but not required. To register, call Iowa Weight Loss Specialists at 515-327-2000. Visit www.iowaweight.loss for more information and to read about patient success stories.