Hazem N. Shamseddeen, M.D.,joins Indy Southside Surgical with St. Francis Medical Group

INDIANAPOLIS – Hazem N. Shamseddeen, M.D., has established a practice with St. Francis Medical Group Indy Southside Surgical.

Certified by the American Board of Surgery, he specializes in general and bariatric surgery/medicine. Shamseddeen recently completed a fellowship at the University of California-Davis, where he performed hundreds of bariatric and minimally invasive procedures, including the use of the Da Vinci Robotics technology.

Shamseddeen earned his medical degree and completed an internship at Beirut Arab University. He was a resident at the American University of Beirut and later completed a surgical residency at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Long Island, N.Y.

He joins a team of five other physicians at Indy Southside Surgical, whom collectively have more than 80 years of experience offering a wide range of general and specialized procedures (invasive and non-invasive). The surgeons include David Mandelbaum, M.D., Jonathan Mandelbaum, M.D., Donald King, M.D., Matthew Libke, M.D., and Mark Edwards, M.D.

St. Francis Medical Group Indy Southside Surgical has locations at 5255 E. Stop 11 Road,

To learn more about this surgical practice, go to http://stfrancishospitals.org/SFMG/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=437

Led by President Isaac J. Myers II, M.D., St. Francis Medical Group is a multidisciplinary group of physicians throughout central Indiana. These physicians offer a variety of primary care and specialty care services and all practice at Franciscan St. Francis Health.

To learn more about St. Francis Medical Group, go to http://www.stfrancisdoctors.org/.

Suite 450

, Indianapolis; and

1203 E. Hadley Road, Suite 204

, Mooresville.

Program offers insight into bariatric surgery process

While exercise and healthy eating are good for your long-range health, it may not be all you need to succeed at weight loss. St. Francis Weight Loss Center offers surgical options for individuals who have been unsuccessful losing weight with other methods and who are more than 100 pounds overweight.
The decision to have surgery should not be taken lightly. By providing information and answering questions, the St. Francis Weight Loss Center staff will help you make an educated decision about surgery.

Learn more about the bariatric surgery program available through Franciscan St. Francis Health by attending one of its free upcoming information sessions. Dates this spring include:

• Tuesday, May 10
• Tuesday, May 24

All sessions will be held at 5:15 p.m. at the St. Francis Weight Loss Center, 5230-A E. Stop 11 Road, just north of St. Francis Health-Indianapolis.  

For more information or to register, call (317) 782-4422. Or register online at StFrancisHospitals.org/weightloss.

 

 

 

 

 

Actress, author shares story of what she gained from weight loss

INDIANAPOLIS – As the tragedy of Sept. 11 struck around her, Stacey Halprin was trapped in her apartment just one mile from the World Trade Center because at 550 pounds, she was unable to escape on her own.

Today, Halprin has transformed herself to a healthy 190 pounds and shares her incredible weight loss journey with others. She will be in town on Thursday, Sept. 11, as the keynote speaker at an event hosted by St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers.

What: St. Francis Hospital & Health Center’s Spirit of Women program is hosting an evening with Stacey Halprin, a nationally recognized actress and author who has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The night will include dinner and a fashion show, highlighting local weight loss success stories. The event also includes health care information and resources.

Where: Scottish Rite Cathedral ballroom
650 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis

When: 5:30 p.m.; September 11, 2008

Detailed schedule:
5:30 p.m. Cocktails and health information booths featuring health care information and resources
6:30 p.m. Dinner and fashion show, highlighting local weight loss success stories. Sponsored by Dress Barn. The emcee for the evening will be Stacia Matthews, health reporter for WRTV-Channel 6.
7:30 p.m. Featured speaker Stacey Halprin
8:30 p.m. Stacey Halprin book signing. Copies of Stacey’s book, “Winning After Losing” will be available for purchase at the event.

Cost: The cost is $30 per person. Reservations are required.

Registration: Register by calling (317) 865-5866.

Who: St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers, one of the largest health care systems in Indiana, is part of Spirit of Women, an elite network of hospitals nationwide committed to caring for women. As a Spirit of Women hospital, St. Francis works to bring the very best in women’s programming from across the nation to central Indiana.

‘Medical and SurgicalWeight Loss’ information session scheduled in Lafayette

Lafayette, Ind. -- Physicians and staff representatives from the St. Francis Weight Loss Center will present two community education programs on “Medical and Surgical Weight Loss” on Wednesday, June 18, at St. Elizabeth's Katherine Weil Education Center.

The first session will start at noon and include lunch. The evening session will start at 6:30 p.m.

The St. Francis Weight Loss Center, located on the south side of Indianapolis, provides surgical and physician-monitored weight loss solutions, including Sleeve Gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery and Lap-Band surgery and fills, as well as nutrition and behavioral counseling.

Since 2002, the center and its staff have helped more than 1,000 Hoosiers achieve a healthier weight and life through its weight management services.

The St. Francis Weight Loss Center was named a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery in 2007. This recognizes the safety, efficiency and overall positive surgical results of the bariatric surgical program at St. Francis. The ASMBS Center of Excellence designation is awarded to surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

For more information on the services, please visit www.stfrancishospitals.org/weightloss.

The program will be held at the Kathryn Weil Center for Education located inside the Medical Arts Building at 415 N. 26th St., Suite 400 in Lafayette. For your convenience, reserved parking will be available on the second level of the Home Hospital parking garage.

These programs are free, but registration is required. To register or for more information, call the Kathryn Weil Center for Education at (765) 449-5133.

Nurse assumes manager’s role at St. Francis Weight Loss Center

INDIANAPOLIS – Pamela A. Fugate, R.N., has been appointed manager of the St. Francis Weight Loss Center.

She comes to the center from Cooperative Managed Care Services of Indianapolis, where she was responsible for support nursing staff utilization of government and private health plans. Prior to that, she was a nurse in the emergency department at Community Hospitals of Indianapolis.

Fugate was an advance case manager for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield from 2003 to 2005, and was previously served as director of quality assurance for Community Physicians of Indiana.

Fugate recently earned a master’s in nursing at Anderson University and is expected to complete a master’s in business administration from that institution in May. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the Indiana University School of Nursing and an associate’s in medical assisting at Tampa College in Florida.

She holds memberships in several professional organizations and has received numerous academic and community service honors.

More information about the St. Francis Weight Loss Center and surgical procedures is at www.stfrancishospitals.org/Weightloss.

‘Sleeve’ procedure offers unique option in weight-loss surgery

INDIANAPOLIS – Some patients seeking a surgical solution to weight loss have another alternative to consider now offered at the St. Francis Weight Loss Center.

It’s called the sleeve gastrectomy, an operation that removes part of the stomach and resizes it roughly to the shape and size of a banana. The smaller stomach helps patients become full faster when eating and decreases the appetite sensation.

“The sleeve gastrectomy doesn’t involve rerouting or reconnecting of intestines and is a simpler procedure than the gastric bypass or the duodenal switch,” said Jonathan Mandelbaum, M.D., the center’s surgical co-director. “Unlike the Lap-Band, the sleeve gastroectomy doesn’t require implanting an artificial device inside the abdomen.”

Sleeve gastretcomies are recognized as a first and single procedure for weight loss because it can achieve more than 50 percent excess weight loss in as little as 18 months.

For certain patients, in particular those with a body mass index greater than 60, the sleeve gastrectomy may be the first part of a two-stage operation. Patients may safely lose up to 100 to 150 pounds in a six-to-12 month period, at which point the weight loss may plateau and other procedures become less risky.

Both stages of the surgery can be performed laparoscopically – minimally invasive surgery – and offers the advantages of shorter recovery time, shorter incisions, and fewer incision-related problems and less pain.

Within one to two years after a sleeve gastrectomy, patients in medical studies have shown resolution for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and sleep apnea.

St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers is a nationally recognized as a Center of Excellence for bariatric surgery by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery. This honor recognizes quality surgical programs around the country.

More information about the St. Francis Weight Loss Center and surgical procedures is at www.stfrancishospitals.org/Weightloss.

St. Francis program offers healthier resolution for New Year

INDIANAPOLIS – We all know the importance of eating right and exercising for good health. But sometimes we stumble on the roadblocks in our path to success, and we just need a little support to help maintain a healthy lifestyle.

That’s what makes the St. Francis Eat for Life Wellness Program unique. The 10-week, comprehensive weight management program teaches skills needed to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.

The latest program gets under way 6 p.m., Jan. 9, 2008, with each session held Wednesdays at the St. Francis Weight Loss Center, 700 E. Southport Rd.

“Our program is designed by a team of physicians and registered dietitians, the program focuses on making long-tem changes in your lifestyle,” said Kim Peters, R.N., of the St. Francis Weight Loss Center.

Each sessions offer group discussions on a variety of topics, including: creating a plan for balanced eating, understanding food labels, changing your behaviors, maintaining motivation, dining out, determining portion sizes, menu planning, grocery shopping, exercise and nutrition facts and fiction.

“The key to success is having the right knowledge and tools – and knowing how to use them,” said Peters. “Beyond the weekly class meetings, participants will have access to continued support and unlimited weigh-ins to help keep you on the road to lifelong success.”

There is a fee for those registering for the program. Call 317-782-7525 or e-mail weightloss@ssfhs.org.

Information about the St. Francis Weight Loss Center is at www.stfrancishospitals.org/weightloss.