|  Memorial's comprehensive, medically managed approach provides 
			patients the safest, highest quality of care for weight loss and 
			wellness. With access to a wide selection of services offered by 
			Memorial Health System, patients will benefit from nutritional 
			education, physical fitness support, medical therapies, surgical 
			procedures, and lifestyle- and behavior-modification techniques. 
			For a video on the Memorial Weight Loss & Wellness Center,
			
			click here. "This physician-led approach makes our program unique in central 
			Illinois. Our goal is to help overweight and obese patients lose 
			weight, maintain their weight loss, and improve their health with 
			the support and expertise of a multidisciplinary team," said Nicole 
			Florence, a physician with Memorial Physician Services and one of 
			the five physicians who lead the center's clinical team.  
		
			 "Our program gives our patients the benefit of health care 
			professionals being involved in every aspect of their journey," Dr. 
			Florence said. "This makes our program unique in the region and 
			provides the opportunity for our patients to succeed in their goal 
			to lose weight and achieve great health. Unlike other programs that 
			offer a one-size-fits-all approach, our program is truly customized 
			to a patient's specific body type and lifestyle needs." More than 154 million Americans 20 years old and older are 
			overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control 
			and Prevention. Obesity is the second-leading cause of preventable 
			death.  "Obese and overweight patients can typically have a number of 
			co-existing health conditions, including high blood pressure, Type 2 
			diabetes, coronary heart disease, sleep apnea and high cholesterol," 
			said Dr. Max Hammer, bariatric medical director and a weight-loss 
			surgeon with Springfield Clinic who specializes in minimally 
			invasive procedures.  
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 The Memorial Weight Loss & Wellness Center's goals align with the 
			four needs identified in Memorial Health System's community needs 
			assessment. The health system's three hospitals assessed community 
			health priorities in their counties and identified the top local 
			priorities: access to health care, cardiovascular diseases, obesity 
			and diabetes. The Memorial Weight Loss & Wellness Center's three other 
			physician leaders are Dr. Daniel Adair, an orthopedic surgeon with 
			Springfield Clinic; Dr. Orlando Icaza, a bariatric surgeon with 
			Springfield Clinic; and Dr. Elizabeth Warner, a bariatric surgeon 
			with Springfield Clinic. They are supported by an 18-member clinical 
			team of midlevel providers, nurses, health psychologists, social 
			workers, physical therapists, certified diabetes educators and 
			dietitians specializing in weight maintenance and other health 
			problems associated with excess weight. For more information, call 217-788-3948 or 866-205-7915. Patient 
			pre-screening forms are also available at
			
			MemorialWeightLossAndWellnessCenter.com. 
			[Text from file received from
			Memorial Health System] 
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