Norwalk Hospital's Surgical Weight Loss Center Earns Reaccreditation

From Western Connecticut Health Network:

NORWALK, Connecticut – March 15, 2016 – Norwalk Hospital’s Surgical Weight Loss Center has been reaccredited by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) designating it as a Comprehensive Center of Excellence.

This accreditation formally acknowledges Norwalk Hospital’s commitment to providing and supporting quality improvement and patient safety efforts for bariatric and metabolic surgery patients. It also demonstrates the amount of effort the staff has made in providing multidisciplinary, high-quality and patient-centered care.

Norwalk Hospital’s Surgical Weight Loss Center has been an accredited Center of Excellence since 2006. The facility’s three bariatric surgeons, Dr. Craig Floch, Dr. Neil Floch and Dr. Abe Friedman were commended by the reviewers for their enthusiastic dedication and outstanding, consistent results with complications rates well below the national average.

Norwalk Hospital’s bariatric inpatient floor includes the dedicated support of specially-trained nurses, and offers specialized medical equipment, customized beds and other comforts that meet the needs of the patient while in the hospital.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese. People are considered to be morbidly obese when they are more than 100 pounds over their ideal body weight or have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. Those with a body max index (BMI) from 35 & up to 40 are considered obese and also qualify for bariatric surgery if they have been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea.

A significant number of patients who have undergone a weight loss surgery procedure at Norwalk Hospital have gone from taking a multiple variety of medication to not having to take any at all.

“We are very pleased to receive reaccreditation from the American College of Surgeons,” says Neil Floch, MD, FACS, medical director of Norwalk Hospital Surgical Weight Loss Center. “The reaccreditation demonstrates our team’s commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate care to our weight loss surgery patients.”

Norwalk Hospital’s Surgical Weight Loss Center currently offers comprehensive metabolic and weight loss surgical procedures, including:

• Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (Realize Band™ or LAP-BAND®)
• Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve
• Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass
• Revisional Bariatric Surgery
• Robotic Bariatric Surgery (robotic da Vinci Surgical System)

For information about Norwalk Hospital’s Surgical Weight Loss Center, please call (203) 852-3100.

About Norwalk Hospital

Norwalk Hospital is a progressive, patient-centered regional teaching hospital serving residents of south-western Connecticut and adjacent New York. The 328-bed acute care, not-for-profit hospital offers Cardiovascular, Cancer, Orthopedic, Neurologic and Digestive Disease care with advanced diagnostics, innovative therapies and state-of-the-art surgery. The hospital is supported by its very generous community through donations to the Norwalk Hospital Foundation.

Norwalk Hospital is part of the Western Connecticut Health Network and one of the Network’s three member hospitals including Danbury Hospital and New Milford Hospital, as well as their physician groups and affiliated organizations. Share your comments with us on Facebook.

About Western Connecticut Health Network

Western Connecticut Health Network is the region's premier, patient-centered health care organization serving residents of Western Connecticut and adjacent New York. The organization, which is now anchored by three nationally recognized hospitals, Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital and Norwalk Hospital, as well as their affiliated organizations. In addition to the three hospitals, the continuum of care offered includes Western Connecticut Medical Group, an integrated physician practice offering primary and subspecialty care across the region, Western Connecticut Home Care, an agency for home health care services, the nationally renowned Western westwConnecticut Health Network Biomedical Research Institute, the Western Connecticut Health Network Foundation, the Norwalk Hospital Foundation, and other affiliates. For more information, visit TheNewWCHN.org. Share your comments with us on Facebook on our pages for the Danbury Hospital, the New Milford Hospital, and/or the Norwalk Hospital.