For immediate release: October 4, 2007
Contact: Anne McMillin, APR
Office 775-682-9254
Mobile 702-292-4247
amcmillin@medicine.nevada.edu
School of Medicine’s Division of Bariatric Surgery administrator addresses Advisory Council for State Program on Fitness
Discussion centers on preventive initiatives aimed at reducing obesity
LAS VEGAS, Nev.— Patricia Lau, program administrator for the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Division of Bariatric Surgery, addresses the Advisory Council for the State Program on Fitness and Wellness today on initiatives for preventing obesity in Nevada.
The Advisory Council is part of the Nevada State Health Division, Department of Health and Human Services. Today’s meeting, which is pursuant to Senate Bill 197 of the 2005 Legislative Session, is being held at the Grant Sawyer Building in Las Vegas at 10 a.m. with a simultaneous teleconference at the State Legislative Building in Carson City.
“Statistics show that Nevada’s rate of obesity is getting worse each year. In 2007, according to a report by the nonprofit agency Trust for America’s Health, Nevada is the 37th heaviest state. In 2006, the Silver State was 42nd heaviest and in 2005, we were 43rd heaviest,” Lau said. “The state’s obesity rate for children is 13 percent. Nationwide the rate is about 15 percent, or 25 million children across the country who are considered overweight or obese.”
“The most effective weight-loss programs are comprehensive, integrated and involve some form of behavior modification,” she continued.
Lau’s focus is to provide an overview of the Division of Bariatric Surgery, including the surgical options that address individuals who suffer from morbid obesity.
“These patients often experience co-morbid conditions such as diabetes and/or hypertension. After the surgery, studies now indicate that there are long-term positive outcomes such as the reduction or elimination of these co-morbid conditions,” she said.
Lau will also discuss innovative prevention measures which are part of a pilot project called Healthy Options for Prevention and Education, or HOPE.
The HOPE initiative houses an advisory board with leadership from various sectors including healthcare, public policy, education, parks and recreation, business (including restaurants), prevention-oriented agencies and the media, all of which will work together to provide guidance to the staff regarding program activities.
Lau is speaking to the Advisory Council at the request of State Senator Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, who invited both Lau and her husband, James Lau, M.D., the chief of the Division of Bariatric Surgery at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, to make the presentation regarding the School’s efforts to address obesity on a statewide level. Dr. Lau was unable to attend due to a prior commitment.
As the state’s only public medical school, the University of Nevada School of Medicine has been meeting statewide healthcare, educational, and clinical needs since 1969. The School of Medicine encompasses 16 clinical medical education departments, including family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, internal medicine, surgery, and psychiatry and behavioral sciences, as well as five nationally-recognized departments within basic science including microbiology and biomedical engineering. As the largest multispecialty healthcare focus in the state, the School of Medicine employs more than 185 doctors who teach and practice medicine throughout Nevada. The school’s statewide faculty physician practice group has 25 different medical specialties with seven physician practice offices in the Reno/Sparks area and five physician offices in Las Vegas.
The University of Nevada School of Medicine utilizes a best-practice approach to medicine and is committed to addressing the health needs of Nevada now and in the future. For more information, visit medicine.nevada.edu.