Obesity can lead to a number of serious medical conditions, and Appalachian Regional Healthcare Bariatrics is here to help those who have been unable to lose weight by traditional diet and exercise programs.

ARH is proud to bring to Eastern Kentucky laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding – a safer and minimally invasive surgical weight loss method proven to have fewer complications.

The program is headed by board-certified surgeons G. Derek Weiss, M.D. and John S. Oldham, Jr., M.D. who performed 40 percent of all bariatric surgeries in Kentucky in 2007, and have performed thousands of these procedures over the last five years.

Doctors Weiss and Oldham are two of a small number of surgeons in Kentucky recognized by the American Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery as “Center of Excellence” Surgeons. They are the only bariatric group in the state that is dedicated entirely to bariatric surgery, and to performing 100 percent laparoscopic bariatric surgery.

The laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding is performed at the state-of-the-art surgical facilities at Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center. Patients have the opportunity to have all follow up visits locally at the ARH Medical Mall in Hazard.