Weight-loss surgery

Being severely overweight places us at risk for heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, sleep apnea, cancer, and depression. It can also rob us of much of the joy in life that we all deserve. If attempts at serious weight reduction have failed, you may be a candidate for bariatric surgery, and Community Hospital's Bariatric Surgical Center of Excellence is here to help.

Weight-loss surgery, commonly referred to as bariatric surgery, describes surgical operations designed to help patients lose and keep off large amounts of weight, to alleviate the health complications that can occur when someone is dangerously overweight, and to restore the quality of life that is often lost when someone is severely overweight.

Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula was one of the earliest in the country to be designated a Bariatric Surgical Center of Excellence by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and we take great pride in a program which is able to offer not just state-of-the-art surgery, but comprehensive nutritional counseling and psychological support, as well.

Our program started in 2001, and we have since performed more than 700 weight-loss operations. Patients undergoing weight-loss surgery in our program most commonly undergo laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, although we also perform laparoscopic and open revisional surgery, and occasionally other types of surgery if necessary.

The program is directed by Mark Vierra, M.D., who has performed weight-loss surgery since 1991, when he established the bariatric surgery program at Stanford University Medical Center. In 2001, he moved his practice to Monterey, where he was able to establish the program he had always wanted.  "I feel that we can offer the best of both worlds here," he explains, "the best modern surgical techniques available, with a stable, dedicated support staff able to provide the kind of personal care that can only be offered in a community setting."

Weight-loss surgery at Community Hospital begins with a free two-hour lecture given monthly to anyone interested in weight-loss surgery, or anyone interested in the science of what makes us overweight. Patients are then evaluated individually by the surgeon, followed by dietary and psychological counseling, and medical testing to assess overall health and fitness for surgery.

Patients are encouraged to attend support groups before surgery to hear firsthand from patients who have had the surgery. Free support groups are also available twice a month to all patients who have had weight-loss surgery. Nutrition classes and counseling, and psychological support are available all along the way, and patients are expected to follow up with their surgeon for at least five years following their surgery.

If you think bariatric surgery might be right for you, talk to your doctor, or call Community Hospital at (831) 649-7230.

Our frequently asked questions page answers the most commonly asked questions regarding weight-loss surgery at Community Hospital.

See our schedule of lectures and support groups for people interested in weight-loss surgery.

These are the surgeons performing bariatric procedures at Community Hospital:

Dr. Mark Vierra
(831) 649-0808

Dr. Mark Lurie
(831) 649-0808