Anna Jaques and Lahey Hospital & Medical Center To Expand Surgical Weight Loss Services on the North Shore

Increasing Access to Services in the Local Community Around the Newburyport Area

Newburyport, MA – Anna Jaques Hospital today announced a new initiative that will bring Lahey Hospital & Medical Center's surgical weight loss program to Newburyport. Beginning this month, the Anna Jaques Hospital Surgical Weight Loss Program will offer expanded patient education and pre-and post-surgical care locally following weight loss surgery at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington.

“One of our founding principles in joining the Beth Israel Lahey Health system was to expand the services we can offer our community, and the introduction of the Anna Jaques Hospital Surgical Weight Loss Program exemplifies this commitment,” said Gary Lee, Vice President of Clinical Services at Anna Jaques Hospital. “Surgical weight loss is an approach that needs highly specialized care over an extended period of time. Now, patients can receive nearly all their pre- and post-surgical care right in their community, and conveniently see Lahey Hospital & Medical Center bariatric surgeon Dr. Reuben Shin here at the hospital in Newburyport.”

“Losing weight is one of the most difficult challenges many adults face and expanding local community access for surgical weight loss services can make a real difference to patients that have been unsuccessful in losing or maintaining weight loss,” said Reuben Shin, MD, bariatric surgeon at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center. "Keeping a healthy weight lowers your risk for developing health problems associated with obesity and weight loss surgery also helps and can cure some conditions that people may already have due to obesity such as diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea or fatty liver disease, among other conditions. Many patients tell me that undergoing surgical weight loss has really improved their health and allowed them to participate in a more active lifestyle."

According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the U.S. adult obesity rate reached 42.4 percent and the prevalence of severe obesity among US adults was 9.2% in 2017–2018. Being overweight or obese puts one at higher risk of developing serious health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.

The first step for patients interested in the Anna Jaques Hospital Surgical Weight Loss Program is to sign up for a free virtual information session that can be watched online from the privacy of their home. The online video provides information from a surgeon and nurse practitioner about obesity and surgical treatment options. All patients are asked to view the online video before an initial consultation is scheduled.

After enrolling in the program, patients will complete a virtual consultation with a multidisciplinary team that includes a nurse practitioner, dietitian and behavioral health specialist from the Lahey Surgical Weight Loss program. Patients will be able to complete all preoperative testing and meet with Dr. Reuben Shin onsite at Anna Jaques Hospital after the initial consultation. Surgeries are performed at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center with all post-surgery appointments onsite at Anna Jaques Hospital with Dr. Shin and/or virtually with other members of the Surgical Weight Loss team.

Another important component of the program is medically supervised weight loss with a bariatrician, which can significantly improve patient health outcomes during and after surgery. Bariatricians are doctors who receive special training in the medical treatment of obesity and related disorders. Through a comprehensive program of diet, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle changes and other appropriate medications, bariatric physicians help patients reach weight loss goals. Depending on the patient’s preference, they can select Anna Jaques internist and bariatrician Dr. Guy Navarra, member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, or choose a bariatrician with Lahey Hospital & Medical Center’s Lifestyle Health Program.  

Additional aspects of the program include emotional supports to help with behavior changes, such as classes to help address mindful eating behaviors or stress eating triggers, preoperatively. The surgical weight loss program also offers monthly virtual support groups to provide the opportunity for patients interact with other patients who are pursuing or have had surgery, access to online cooking classes, additional group wellness classes and lifelong follow up with the weight loss team, which research shows can support greater long-term results.

For more information about surgical weight loss services at Anna Jaques Hospital, visit the Weight Loss Surgery department webpage.

About Anna Jaques Hospital

Anna Jaques Hospital is a 83-bed not-for-profit community hospital serving the Merrimack Valley, North Shore and Southern New Hampshire. With 1,200 employees and more than 200 physicians on staff, Anna Jaques is recognized for delivering high quality community health care with an emphasis on patient satisfaction.

Anna Jaques Hospital is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians, and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through ground-breaking research and education.