SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – Regional West Medical Center has been recertified as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS). The ASBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery is a procedure that reduces the size of the stomach, leading to significant loss of weight for those suffering from obesity. Severe obesity is closely associated with a number of serious conditions that severely undermine the health of overweight patients, including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Bariatric surgery, when performed correctly, can help obese patients improve and possibly eliminate these conditions.

Regional West Medical Center and Regional West Physicians Clinic-Surgery, Vascular Diagnostics of Scottsbluff began performing gastric bypass surgery in 1980 and laparascopic bypass surgery in 2000. In 2001, Regional West became the first hospital in the region and one of only two hospitals (the other in Texas) west of the Mississippi River to perform lap banding procedures. Since then, over 1400 gastric band procedures have been conducted at Regional West by surgeons Glen Forney, MD, Jeffrey Holloway, MD, and Melissa Stade, MD.

To maintain the Center of Excellence designation, the Medical Center, Bariatric Medical Director Jeffrey Holloway, MD, and Bariatric Coordinator Mona Urwin, RN, a certified bariatric nurse, participated in a detailed site inspection during which all aspects of the program’s surgical processes were closely examined and health outcomes data was collected.

The bariatric surgeons at Regional West ensure that a multidisciplinary approach is used when screening patients for bariatric surgery. The multidisciplinary teams include surgeons, nursing staff, the bariatric coordinator, dieticians, physical therapists, psychologists, respiratory therapists and quality resource personnel. Surgeons with ASBS Center of Excellence designations practice only top-quality care, ensuring efficacy of the procedure with each patient to the best of their abilities.

“We are extremely proud of the work we do but our greatest reward is in seeing our patients improve their overall health and quality of life,” said Regional West bariatric coordinator and certified bariatric nurse Mona Urwin.

Regional West Health Services, with over 1,800 employees, provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people and communities of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. With over 110 active physicians, 95 percent of whom are board certified or board eligible, plus an additional 25 consulting specialists, Regional West offers care that spans more than 30 medical specialties. Regional West Medical Center, a subsidiary of Regional West Health Services, is accredited by The Joint Commission and is one of three Level II Trauma Centers in Nebraska.