Hope is here.

4700 Waters AvenueMemorial University Surgeons Building, First FloorSavannah, GA 31404

3776 Highway 17Richmond Hill, GA 31324

23630 Highway 80 East, Unit BStatesboro, GA 30461

1707 Meadows Lane, Suite HVidalia, GA 30474

3226 Hampton Avenue, Suite FBrunswick, GA 31520

912-350-DIET (3438) bariatrics.memorialhealth.com

Insurance and Payment OptionsWe participate with most major insurance carriers. Many cover at least part of the cost of bariatric surgery.When you attend a free information session, our staff can confirm your plan’s coverage.

Office HoursOur main office is located in the Memorial University SurgeonsBuilding, first floor. The office is open Monday through Thursday,8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Also, Oliver Whipple, M.D., sees patients in our Vidalia, Brunswick, and Richmond Hill offices; Robert Kelly, M.D., sees patients in our Brunswick office; and Jody Hannah, M.S., PAC, sees patients in our Brunswick, Statesboro, and Richmond Hill locations.

Jillian O’Malley, 29TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS:

146 pounds in eight months

I’ve struggled with my weight since I was a teenager.

Even as a soldier in the Army I fought to keep my weight

down. Eventually, I found myself creeping very close to 300

pounds. I was miserable. I couldn’t play with my kids. I was

embarrassed to go out with my husband. Just going to the

grocery store was exhausting.

Life was passing me by, so, finally, I decided to do something

about it. I wanted to be the mom and wife my kids and

husband deserve. I always knew there was an athlete stuck

inside this morbidly obese person and, after surgery, I found

her. I began competing in triathlons and I love it. Today I

embrace life and all it has to offer.

memorialhealth.comf /memorialhealtht@mymemorialy/memorialhealthg +memorialhealth

Imemorial_health

Help is here.Are you one of the 24 million Americans who are

considered morbidly obese? You may already be

experiencing some of the serious health conditions

associated with morbid obesity: diabetes,

hypertension, and sleep apnea. Morbid obesity

can result in disability or death.

Bariatric, or weight-loss, surgery may be the answer.

Memorial Health Bariatrics offers the region's only

comprehensive, multidisciplinary bariatric surgery

program. We have been designated a bariatric surgery

Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation

and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric

Surgery. This means we meet the rigorous standards

set forth by these respected organizations.

Types of Weight-loss SurgeryBariatric surgery can help morbidly obese patients lose muchof their excess body weight. But it is only a tool. It is a wayto make the weight loss possible, but it is only successfulwhen used along with major lifestyle and eating changes.Your success depends on how closely you follow the diet,exercise, and vitamin requirements after surgery. The closeryou follow the regimen, the more successful you will be.Based on your health, your surgeon will recommend

one of these procedures:

� Adjustable Gastric Band (Lap Band)A small pouch is created by wrapping a plastic band around the top of the stomach. Weight loss is slow but steady. Most patients lose their weight over a three-year period.

� Sleeve GastrectomyThe stomach is trimmed into a narrow tube with a smallpouch at the bottom. The remaining stomach is removed.Patients undergoing this procedure lose weight more rapidly during the first year.

� Roux-en-Y Gastric BypassA small pouch is created from existing stomach tissue. It is reattached to the small intestine, which limits the body’s absorption of carbohydrates and various vitamins and minerals. This restricts food intake and results in rapid weight loss the first year after surgery.

Free Information SessionsThe decision to have weight-loss surgery requires a significant commitment of your time and effort. The firststep is to attend a free information session. You will learnmore about the types of surgery we offer, the benefits and

risks of each procedure, and how Memorial Health Bariatricscan help you transform your life. Information sessions are presented monthly or bimonthly in five locations.Register online at bariatrics.memorialhealth.com

and receive our free e-newsletter.

• Memorial GenerationOne1100 Eisenhower Drive, Eisenhower Square, Suite 27-ASavannah, Georgia

• Memorial Physicians’ Office23630 Highway 80 East, Unit B, Statesboro, Georgia

• Meadows Wellness Center101 Harris Industrial Boulevard, Vidalia, Georgia

• Memorial Physicians’ Office3226 Hampton Avenue, Suite F, Brunswick, Georgia

• LaQuinta Inn & Suites-Hinesville/Fort Stewart1740 East Oglethorpe Highway, Hinesville, Georgia

Free Support GroupsOur free bariatric support groups provide education and support to help you get back on track. The groups are led byAnisa Grantham, a licensed psychotherapist who serves asbariatric coordinator for Memorial Health Bariatrics. She hadweight-loss surgery in 2002 and has kept the weight off.

First Wednesday of each month | 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.Memorial GenerationOne1100 Eisenhower Drive, Savannah, Georgia

Third Thursday of each month | 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.Rincon Recovery Resources613 Towne Park Drive West, Suite 103, Rincon, Georgia

Jody Hannah, M.S., PACHannah is a certified physician assistant whoworks with the physicians in all aspects ofpatient care. Hannah also conducts publicinformation seminars and patient educationclasses. She holds a Bachelor of Science

degree from Aurora University in Illinois and a Master of Science physician assistant degree from South University inSavannah. Hannah is a member of the Georgia Associationof Physician Assistants and does frequent volunteer work in the community.

Robert J. Kelly Jr., M.D., FACSA native of Birmingham, Alabama, Kelly received his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine.He then completed his residency in generalsurgery at Memorial University Medical

Center. Kelly served as a fellow and instructor in bariatricand minimally invasive surgery at Vanderbilt UniversityMedical Center before joining Memorial Health Bariatrics.

Oliver Whipple, M.D., FACSMedical DirectorWhipple is certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a member of the AmericanCollege of Surgeons. After earning his undergraduate degree at the University

of Georgia, Whipple attended medical school at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon. He completed his residency at Memorial University Medical Center and thencompleted a laparoscopic fellowship at the Cleveland Clinicin Florida. Whipple has earned numerous teaching awardsand is frequently called upon to lecture at surgical events.

The Faces of Hope

Anisa Grantham, LPC, NCACGrantham is a psychotherapist and certified addiction counselor who servesas bariatric coordinator. She works withpatients before and after surgery, includingthose who struggle with regaining weight

or extended plateaus. She provides education and counselingfor food and sugar addiction and emotional eating patternsand she leads our Success Habits Workshop, Back on TrackProgram, and monthly support groups to help patientsstay on track with their weight loss. Grantham earned herbachelor’s degree in psychology and Master of Educationdegree in community counseling at Georgia Southern University. She underwent successful bariatric surgery in2002 and is credentialed as a bariatric life coach.

Ashley Brigdon, FNPBrigdon, a family nurse practitioner, seesbariatric and general surgery patients.She earned her Master of Science in nursing at Georgia Southern Universityand her Bachelor of Science in nursing at

the Medical College of Georgia. She has cared for adultsand children in the hospital setting and worked as a school nurse in Bulloch County.