Aurora BayCare Offers New Bariatrics Program

Aurora BayCare Offers New Bariatric Program

Kemmerling Appointed as Medical Director

Green Bay, Wis. - Aurora BayCare Medical Center recently launched a new bariatric program for people who suffer from severe obesity. Green Bay-based Bariatric Surgeon James Kemmerling, M.D., was appointed medical director of the program.

The bariatric program at Aurora BayCare includes surgical treatment options and medical weight loss solutions for the chronic metabolic conditions, or obesity, affecting nearly 16 million people in the United States.

"Being overweight or obese is a problem for many people in the area," said Kemmerling. "It affects your health in so many ways, from having a hard time playing in the yard with your children to longer-term health conditions like diabetes. When it becomes a quality of life issue, we need to provide the most advanced, comprehensive and successful treatment options available today, to help our patients overcome this medical issue."

Safe and effective surgical treatment options include:

  • Laparoscopic and open Roux-en Y gastric bypass,
  • Laparascopic adjustable gastric band, and
  • Laparoscopic gastric sleeve resection.

Medical weight loss options include:

  • Medication,
  • Very low calorie diets, and
  • Other modalities to assist patients with weight loss without surgery.

"Our patients’ needs and education will be the cornerstone of the bariatric program at Aurora BayCare Medical Center," Kemmerling added. "Our program is designed to work closely with our multidisciplinary team, which includes primary care providers, nutritionists, psychologists and personal trainers to develop customized treatment plans for every patient."

The program also includes pre- and post-surgical support, which includes educational seminars, support groups and counseling.

Call 920-494-9685 for information on upcoming support groups and educational seminars.

Kemmerling is a fellowship-trained metabolic and bariatric surgeon. He has performed more than 500 bariatric procedures in Northeastern Wisconsin in the last ten years. He graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa and completed a general surgery residency at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.