Mercy Medical Center, whose Weight-Loss Surgery Program is ranked highest in New York State 2008/2009 by the HealthGrades(r) national hospital rating company, will be conducting two new facilitated weight-management support programs this fall for adults and adolescents, along with a continuation of its facilitated support group for post bariatric surgery patients.

The weekly, ten or twelve-session programs will be conducted by multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals with long experience in assisting with the lifelong commitment and lifestyle modifications required for weight management.

The program's Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Registered Dietitians and Certified Physical Therapists will focus on a broad range of issues including healthy behaviors, stress-reduction, social relationships, exercise, and prevention of relapse into old eating habits. The program for adolescents will use the nationally-recognized SHAPEDOWN(r) curriculum developed at the University of California, San Francisco.

Support group sizes will be limited to assure personal attention. Weekly Wednesday evening meetings for all three groups will begin with an orientation on September 16th, with sessions beginning on September 23rd. Orientation is required for the SHAPEDOWN program and is highly recommended for the two other programs.

For information about fees and registration, call 516-62MERCY.