St. John's Hospital Support Group-Spfd., MO

Yeah! It's finally the time again for our next meeting of the St. John's Bariatric Surgery Program's New Beginnings Support Group. We will be meeting on Monday, January 8, 2007, at the St. John's Surgery Center, Classroom 4B, 1229 E. Seminole, Springfield, Missouri. We meet from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Our regular meetings are the second Monday of every month. The St. John's Bariatric Surgery Program has created a professional comprehensive support group system consisting of multiple meetings. Our meetings are led by an ObesityHelp trained support group leader. The behavioral health specialist, working closely with the bariatric surgeons of the program, also attends our meetings to support members. We feature an educational portion to our New Beginnings meeting along with open sharing and communication for everyone, plus FUN! We have members with all types of bariatric procedures to provide personal experience and support to others with the same procedures. The New Beginnings Support Group is for weight loss surgery pre and post-op patients, their support members or anyone wanting to obtain information on weight loss surgery. We welcome pre-op patients, post-op patients (with any weight loss surgery procedure), family members, and the general public. You may be a part of our group regardless of where you have had your surgery, and you don't have to be a patient to attend. Our speaker for this month will be Kristin Griffin, M.D. Dr. Griffin's presentation will be "Health Hazards Associated with Obesity in Adults". Dr. Griffin received her medical education from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and completed her internship and residency at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR. She is a member of the American Medical Association, the Missouri State Medical Association and the American College of Physicians. I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday, the 8th! Cathy ObesityHelp Staff and Support Group Specialist St. John's Hospital Bariatric Surgery Program Support Group Leader