- Men's Health, Patient & Family Advisors, Weight Loss, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogMark Goss knows how hard it can be to lose weight and keep it off. At age 34, the Annapolis resident and business owner weighed just over 350 pounds. When his primary care doctor warned him that he was headed for early heart disease and stroke, he knew it was time to get healthier for the sake of his wife and two young daughters. After years of trying a number of weight loss programs that didn’t work for him, Mark was inspired when he attended a free seminar held by AAMC’s Weight Loss and Metabolic Surgery Program. The program’s emphasis on forming healthy, lifelong habits made sense to him. After undergoing surgery in 2014, he lost more than 100 pounds, his weight has remained stable, and he has a new, healthy lifestyle that he knows he can sustain. “If you are serious about long-term weight loss and getting healthy, the AAMC weight loss surgery program provides an outstanding tool for making the changes that can save your life,” says Mark, who now provides peer support to new and prospective AAMC bariatric patients. “I’m sure it saved mine.” Even Biggest Losers Gain Recent research has shown just how difficult it can be to sustain weight loss like Mark’s. In one study, detailed in a May 2016 New York Times article, researchers followed a group of contestants from the reality TV show “The Biggest Loser” for six years after their weight loss. During those years, the contestants’ metabolism actually slowed down. It became harder than normal for them to burn calories, and most regained their weight. “Weight loss surgery provides an added advantage to diet and exercise as the only proven, long-term weight loss solution for patients struggling with obesity,” says Alex Gandsas, MD, director of AAMC’s Weight Loss and Metabolic Surgery Program. “But a focus on overall wellness and long-term support is another crucial factor for success. We’ve found that patients do so much better in a program that will support them for the rest of their lives. Surgery is only one of the components on the journey along with nutrition, psychological counseling and medically supervised exercise.” No more medication Mark was a candidate for sleeve gastrectomy, one of two minimally invasive weight loss surgeries offered at AAMC. The small stomach pouch his surgery created now provides a fail-safe against overeating, he says. “I can comfortably eat one plate of food, and immediately after that I have an amazingly full feeling.” Prior to the procedure, he had a complete medical evaluation and physical fitness training. After surgery, program dietitians prescribed him a diet that he says helped him break an addiction to junk food. He also entered the AAMC Bariatric Optimization Program, a carefully monitored exercise regimen. “The program gave me the building blocks I needed to continue exercising on my own with a personal trainer,” he says. He continues to work out regularly and stays away from unhealthy foods. All in the family Mark’s journey has also had a profound effect on his family’s health. His wife has lost nearly 100 pounds with diet and exercise, and his daughters now ask for the healthy foods they see their parents eating. In addition, the once sedentary family is now active and the kids are enrolled in sports programs. “We are where we should have been to begin with,” he says. “The surgery was a catalyst for a life change.” Mark now helps guide the program and supports others in his role as a patient and family advisor. And if he needs help, Mark knows he can contact his AAMC team with any questions, concerns or complications. He credits this support as a key factor in his ongoing success. “Everyone’s really friendly and just an email away,” he says. “I struggle the same as everyone, and moderation is still the key. But it’s easy now that I have the mindset and the knowledge to keep my weight under control and to stay fit,” Mark says. “It’s up to the individual to capitalize on the opportunities this program offers, and AAMC makes it easier.” AAMC surgeons also perform complex hernia repair procedures in combination with weight loss surgery.
- Behavioral Health, Community, News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogJohn and Jill DePaola of the Bo DePaola Family Foundation hosted the inaugural Bo’s Effort Golf Tournament at South River Country Club on May 23, 2016, in memory of their son Bo DePaola. It raised funds to support a behavioral health nurse navigator position for AAMC’s Pathways, outpatient mental health clinic and ER. As part of AAMC’s family-centered care, nurse navigators advocate for patients and their families. They remove barriers, coordinate activities to meet patients’ needs, and identify ways to improve the patient journey and enhance patient and family support during a complex diagnosis. “This was a tribute to our beautiful son, Bo, who left this life early but will continue in spirit to do great things for the community. He is doing his part to help other families who are going through the uncertainty of living with mental illness,” said John DePaola, Bo’s dad. Bo’s Effort’s mission is to break the stigma of mental illness with education and guidance. Through partnerships with Anne Arundel Medical Center, the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Anne Arundel County, and valued community partners, the event is raising awareness. Mark your calendars for the 2017 Bo’s Effort Golf Tournament on Monday, May 22.
- News & Press Releases, Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnnapolis Cardiology Consultants has joined Anne Arundel Medical Group (AAMG), a multi-specialty physician group that is part of Anne Arundel Medical Center. Annapolis Cardiology Consultants will work in partnership with the doctors of AAMG Cardiology Specialists. AAMG’s heart care network now includes eight doctors at two locations, all supported by specially trained staff and backed by Anne Arundel Medical Center’s award-winning cardiac care. “The talented team at Annapolis Cardiology Consultants has cared for this community for over a decade, and we’re pleased to welcome them into AAMG,” said Steve Clarke, vice president of Physician Services at Anne Arundel Medical Center. “This partnership allows us to continue to meet the growing heart care needs of our community and offer patients convenient access to our cardiologists.” Appointments are available for patients within 48 hours. The AAMG heart care network includes: AAMG Annapolis Cardiology Consultants: Dr. Ingo Ender Dr. Boaz Rosen Dr. Sadia Shafi AAMG Cardiology Specialists: Dr. Jennifer Brady Dr. Baran Kilical Dr. Salvatore Lauria Dr. Elizabeth Reineck Dr. Jerome Segal Annapolis Cardiology Consultants will continue to see patients at their location on Anne Arundel Medical Center’s campus at 2002 Medical Parkway, Suite 310 in Annapolis. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 410-224-0040 or visit AnnapolisHeart.com. Anne Arundel Medical Center is committed to providing comprehensive heart care services for the community it serves. In 2015, the medical center filed a Certificate of Need (CON) application with the Maryland Health Care Commission to gain approval to develop a cardiac surgery program. If approved, the cardiac surgery program will be the first in Anne Arundel County. For more information, visit askAAMC.org/heart.
- Community, Giving, News & Press Releases, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLast year, AAMC was the recipient of a grant award through the Stulman Foundation to fund Referrals for Recovery (“RforR”), a model program designed to meet the needs of patients who require immediate behavioral health intervention. Through this program, primary care and OBGYN physicians identify patients in need of mental health care by using the Quick Behavioral Health Assessment (“QBHA”), developed by AAMC behavioral health experts. Once a patient is identified, he or she is connected immediately via a dedicated referral line to the RforR team, comprised of a Referral Specialist and Behavioral Health Navigator. Together these professionals ensure that referred patients are appropriately assessed and placed in treatment within 48 hours. The RforR program at AAMC has identified and secured appropriate behavioral health care for more than 500 patients in need. This program has allowed AAMC to increase accessibility to critical mental health needs for everyone in our community, as well as helped solidify community partnerships throughout the region. The RforR program represents the important advances in care that can happen from philanthropic support and grant funding. To learn more about supporting mental healthcare programs provided by AAMC please call 443-481-4747.
- Behavioral HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogMental illness and addiction know no boundaries. They can impact people regardless of their age, race, income, education and geographic location. We often don’t have to look any further than our immediate circles—family, friends, neighbors, even ourselves—to see the faces of mental illness and addiction. Anne Arundel Medical Center wants to help expand access to mental health services and recently filed a Certificate of Need (CON) with the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) to establish a 16-bed mental health hospital. This specialty hospital for adults will complement AAMC’s existing community-centered mental health and substance use services. The MHCC must approve our CON application before we can move forward. Despite a growing network of outpatient mental health services, what’s sorely lacking is inpatient care, especially in Anne Arundel County. Each year, AAMC transfers more than 1,000 patients from our emergency department to inpatient mental health facilities across Maryland. The most recent countywide health assessment cites improved mental health and substance use services as one of the highest priority healthcare needs for Anne Arundel County. “Community support for our project is strong and a true vote of confidence and indication that this community needs and wants access to mental health care,” says Larry Ulvila, chair of AAMC’s Mental Health and Substance Use Philanthropy Council and former president of the AAMC Foundation Board. A core group of area residents and business leaders are pledging to launch a campaign to raise $5 million through the AAMC Foundation to help fund construction and programs for this new initiative. We have been expanding our mental health services and this facility will fill a critical gap. In 2014, we opened an outpatient mental health clinic and, later this year, we will open a psychiatric day hospital program where patients attend treatment sessions during the day and return home in the evening,” says Raymond Hoffman, MD, director of AAMC’s Division of Mental Health and Substance Use. “This will provide our community with access to a full range of substance use and mental health programs on one campus. AAMC plans to build the new specialty hospital on the Riva Road campus where it operates Pathways, a 40-bed substance use and co-occurring mental health treatment facility. In addition to inpatient care, AAMC will also transition its outpatient and partial hospitalization programs to this new facility. This will provide our community with access to a full range of substance use and mental health programs on one campus.
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