Floyd Memorial Hospital & Health Services

Offering Both the Realize™ Personalized Banding Solution and HMR Weight Management Program The new facility located at 2125 State Street in New Albany will soon be home to the comprehensive Floyd Memorial Weight Management Center.

Offering assessment, education, follow-up and support services, it will provide patients with convenient, comprehensive services and a variety of options to help them succeed in reaching their weight loss goals.

Support for Patients Choosing the Realize Band

“It is essential to prepare patients thoroughly for gastric band surgery,” said Dr. Lankford. “You also have to be available for their evolving needs after surgery, and to provide nutritional support, exercise assistance and someone to provide support and encouragement through the ups and downs. They will find all that and more at this new center.”

HMR Weight Management Program

The center will also be home to the physician-supervised HMR (Health Management Resources) Weight Management Program. “The program, with its nutritional diet, wide variety of pre-packaged, convenient foods, educational component and personal weight-loss coaches, has proven highly successful,” said Dr. Mokshagundam, HMR medical director. “It is amazing to see the significant health improvements weight loss can bring about. We’ve had people who have lost just 35 or 40 pounds and experienced a significant improvement in blood pressure, lowered their cholesterol and blood sugar levels and eliminated the need to take many medications.”

An article in the August 2007 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated that a nine-year study of 118 obese patients who lost 100 pounds or more on the HMR program showed 73 percent were able to discontinue their diabetes medications, 67 percent were able to discontinue their medication for high blood pressure and 100 percent were able to discontinue taking medications for high cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels.

Programs Complement Each Other

The gastric band and HMR programs can actually work together for some patients. As Dr. Mokshagundam explained, “Participating in the HMR program can help people begin the process of making the behavioral changes it takes to lead a better, healthier lifestyle. It can help them understand the importance of healthy eating before they have the Realize gastric banding procedure. The most important thing is that they will be ready to practice long-term healthy behaviors post-operatively.”

“When an individual is obese, losing weight can make a tremendous difference to his or her health in terms of lowering blood pressure and reducing cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Offering them the education and tools to make the necessary long-term behavioral changes is key to their success.”

-Sri Prakash Mokshagundam,
MD Board Certified Endocrinologist
Floyd Memorial Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate