Two patient care entities that both address diabetes and obesity have joined forces as the School of Medicine’s Endocrinology and Wellness and Weight Management Center, and relocated to the second floor of the Center for Molecular Medicine on the north end of the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
The combined center is now open and seeing patients. The Wellness and Weight Management Center moved from the Redfield Building on the University campus earlier this year and the endocrinology medical practice moved from its previous location on East Second Street in February.
“The Endocrinology and Wellness and Weight Management Center serves adult patients with onset diabetes, those patients who have issues with their weight and patients with medical issues as a result of one or both of these conditions,” said Dan Shapiro, M.D., chair of the School of Medicine’s internal medicine department.
Shapiro said that endocrinologists provide the physician care in the Wellness and Weight Management Center and the specific medical care of patients with diabetes. In both cases, they are part of an outstanding team that is dedicated, first and foremost, to the care of these patients.
“These services will help greatly in managing patients in a truly coordinated way as the services, and the very dedicated team, are now co-located within a nice, new, open office design,” he continued.
The Wellness and Weight Management Center offers two programs to help patients with weight loss.
The first, HMR Weight Management Services (HMR) program, was recently named the No. 2 Best Weight-Loss Diet in U.S. News & World Reports’ Best Diets of 2015. The ranking was based on both short- and long-term weight-loss ratings of the HMR Program.
HMR’s programs focus on integrating diet, physical activity and healthy lifestyle skills through weekly coaching. Research shows 47 lbs. average weight loss for a mix of HMR Decision-Free® and Healthy Solutions® clinic patients with a body mass index of 40 or greater who completed the program for at least 12 weeks.
“The program is effective at helping our patients achieve weight loss, which can result in improvement in risk factors for the development of conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The weight loss may also lead to a decrease in the need for medications for some individuals who have developed these conditions,” says Karmella Thomas, RD, LD, CDE and HMR program director.
In addition to HMR, a structured weight loss program called the Energy BALANCE (Behavior and Lifestyle Assessment with Nutrition Centered Education) is available to patients. This medically-supervised weight loss program incorporates a multi-disciplinary team of providers to help patients meet their weight loss goals.
The average weight loss achieved using this program is 26 pounds in the first 12 weeks. With guidance, support and sound recommendations founded on the latest evidence-based research, the team of providers assists patients in learning and practicing the skills necessary to create lifestyle changes for successful long term weight and health management. This team includes the School of Medicine’s four board-certified endocrinologists, Registered Dietitians who specialize in adult and pediatric weight management and a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist.
“This program is also supportive for people who are looking for preventive services to support lowering the risk of factors for chronic disease such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer,” said Thomas, adding that body composition measurements are taken at the initial appointment along with a short exam that measures metabolism.
“We offer weekly appointments for accountability and support long term to maximize results.”
Endocrinologists Drs. Evan Klass, David Howard, Carol Cheney and Stanley Shane now work in close collaboration with School of Medicine registered dietitians, exercise specialists, diabetes educators and support staff to build comprehensive care plans for patients fighting all endocrine disorders, including diabetes and obesity.
Klass, who serves as chief of endocrinology and is the medical director of the Wellness and Weight Management Center, is excited about the opportunity to further build synergy between caring for both diabetes and obesity patients as the two conditions are often strongly correlated.
“Endocrinologists treat those with diabetes, yet the most important part of management is often lifestyle change, and that is where the Wellness and Weight Management staff add their expertise in diet and lifestyle coaching programs,” Klass said.
“We now offer continuity of care for patients battling both conditions from health care professionals located literally right down the hall from each other.”
The School of Medicine’s board-certified endocrinologists primarily see patients with Type 1 and 2 diabetes, referred from their primary care physicians, who believe their patient would benefit from specialist consultation.
Klass went on to say that all diabetes patients benefit from nutritional counseling, a service offered by registered dietitians on the Wellness and Weight Management side of the practice.
“Our integration as a team gets our patients better results,” he said.
To schedule an appointment with the School of Medicine’s Endocrinology and Wellness and Weight Management Center, please call (775)784-4474. The center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.
