Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Spring 2020 - 24

M e d i c a l R ec o r d F e a t u r e

Healthy Teens Program Addresses
Growing Obesity Epidemic
by Stephan Myers, MD, Medical Director,
Weight Loss Surgery & Wellness Center
Renee Riddle, MD, Pediatrics

Weight Loss Surgery & Wellness Center
Obesity among adolescents and children continues to be a
growing concern and puts young people at risk not only for physical
ailments, but also for mental health issues such as depression,
isolation, and bullying. If left untreated, adolescent obesity can easily
carry into adulthood with serious and life-threatening conditions
such as: type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, asthma,
fatty liver disease, joint and back pain, gastroesophageal reflux
disease, irregular/absent menstrual cycle, urinary incontinence, and
sleep disorders. Organ injury
is often even more severe
in adolescents and children
requiring early intervention to
treat this serious disease.
In our recent Community
Health Needs Assessment,
Tower Health identified obesity
as one of the major factors
negatively impacting the overall
health of our community. This
finding is also true for the
pediatric population not only
in Berks County and across the
country. In the United States,
rates of obesity have more
than doubled in children and
quadrupled in adolescents in
the past 30 years. One third of
US children/adolescents are currently overweight or obese.
As just one part of our response to this challenge, Tower Health
recently expanded its weight management program and moved to a
larger location at 1220 Broadcasting Road, Suite 100 in Wyomissing.

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The new facility, now known as "Tower Health Weight Loss Surgery
and Wellness Center," centralizes a wide range of services to help
individuals lose weight, resolve or improve their comorbidities and
achieve a healthier lifestyle. The Center provides both medical and
surgical options for weight loss and offers a special Healthy Teens
program. Our medical team and support staff are specially trained
and certified in obesity medicine.

Healthy Teens Program
As physicians we understand
the impact that being overweight
can have on our adolescent
patients. Our center is
committed to addressing their
medical, nutritional, emotional,
and social needs.
As one of only a few
comprehensive programs in the
nation that includes both adult
and teen programs, the Tower
Health Weight Loss Surgery
& Wellness Center brings
together pediatrician, surgeon,
dietician, exercise physiologist
and psychologist in one new
location. Our multidisciplinary
team of experts will evaluate
teens to develop a realistic plan
aimed at providing education and support to reach "a healthier
weight," build self-confidence, and stay motivated - now and
throughout adulthood. We work closely with the patient, and his
or her family, to customize a plan that encompasses nutrition and
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Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Spring 2020

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