New Weight-Loss Procedure to be Highlighted at Kentucky State Fair; Patient and Doctors to Discuss Live-Streaming Experience - Archived

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Barbara Mackovic, Senior Manager, Media Relations
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New Weight-Loss Procedure to be Highlighted at Kentucky State Fair; Patient and Doctors to Discuss Live-Streaming Experience

Louisville, Ky. (August 23, 2016) – On July 26, a Louisville patient’s weight-loss procedure at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, part of KentuckyOne Health, was live-streamed via Facebook Live on the KentuckyOne Health page, showcasing the ORBERA procedure to the public. ORBERA is a new, quick procedure in which a balloon is temporarily placed in the patient’s stomach without incisions or surgery, and stays for six months. Patients can lose three times the weight they would with diet and exercise alone.
 
Now, patient Michelle Stivers and her physicians from Louisville Surgical Associates, affiliated with KentuckyOne Health, will discuss the ORBERA procedure, and the unique experience of virtually opening up the procedure to the public via Facebook Live and Twitter. Stivers, a 45-year-old mother of two, will discuss her weight-loss experience since having the ORBERA balloon placed into her stomach.

WHAT:          
ORBERA procedure press conference  
 
WHERE:       
Kentucky Exposition Center
South Wing “Health Horizons” area
KentuckyOne Health Area
 
WHEN:          
Thursday, August 25, 2016
10 a.m.

WHO:             
Michelle Stivers, ORBERA patient
John Olsofka, MD, Bariatric Surgery, Louisville Surgical Associates
Vincent Lusco, MD, Bariatric Surgery, Louisville Surgical Associates
                       
MORE:
The video of Stivers’ procedure, as completed by Dr. Lusco and explained by Dr. Osofka, followed by the public Q&A, can be viewed at www.kentuckyonehealth.org/ky1gastricballoon.
 
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one-third of Americans are obese. Overweight and obesity are risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and other health problems. ORBERA offers a new weight loss option for adults who have a body mass index of 30-40. Stivers had a BMI of 34.
 
During the ORBERA procedure, the gastric balloon is inserted orally through the patient’s esophagus and placed directly into the stomach. The procedure is completed in less than 20 minutes. Most patients leave the hospital on the same day to begin their weight loss journey.
 
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Additional video will be made available to media at the news conference.
            
About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health, the largest and most comprehensive health system in the Commonwealth, has more than 200 locations including, hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies in Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is dedicated to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved.  The system is made up of the former Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System, along with the University of Louisville Hospital and James Graham Brown Cancer Center. KentuckyOne Health is proud of and strengthened by its Catholic, Jewish and academic heritages.