FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 7, 2017 • HEALTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 47
health
Weight-loss surgery at LIJ Forest
Hills gives woman new lease on life
Standing 5 foot 3 inches tall and weighing
Dr. Allison Barrett, director of bariatric surgery at LIJ Forest Hills, speaks with Grisel Leonardo about her progress during a recent follow-up checkup.
Fidelis Care marks one year anniversary in Rego Park
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
A healthcare provider is celebrating 365
days of helping the Rego Park population
“get through the maze of the healthcare
system.”
Th e Fidelis Care Welcome Center,
located at 95-25 Queens Blvd., is designed
to be a convenient resource for local residents
seeking information about health
insurance. It opened for business in
November 2016.
Mark Sclafani, vice president of marketing
for downstate New York, said the
main goal of the center is to get customers
the best benefi ts for the most aff ordable
cost.
“Our key thing really is to make sure
nobody is ever waiting,” Sclafani said.
“Th ere are a lot of questions and anxiety
about what’s going on with Aff ordable
Care Act (ACA) and in the political environment.
We’re here to help.”
A total of 15-20 full-time employees
are constantly on hand to off er one-onone
services, answering questions and
addressing concerns from members as
well as those who may be shopping for
coverage for the fi rst time.
Approximately 50 total employees who
speak six diff erent languages staff the
10,000-square-foot center. A total of 25
languages are spoken throughout the
company, making it easy for employees
to connect with customers from all
walks of life.
“Th e diversity of Queens, the diff erent
people that live here — it’s a great place
for us to be and we do serve a tremendous,
diverse population,” Sclafani said.
Th e vice president estimates that anywhere
between 150 to 200 people pass
through the center on a daily basis.
Th at number doubles, and even triples,
during open enrollment periods, he continued.
“When people come in, they’re put at
ease,” Sclafani said. “We don’t shut the
door until the last person is served.”
Th e Rego Park Welcome Center is currently
open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 7
p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and
Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact the
center at 888-343-3547.
Fidelis Care also has locations in
Ridgewood and Jamaica. For a full list of
offi ce locations, visit fi deliscare.org.
230 pounds, Grisel Leonardo was
tired of battling with her scale. She was
also worried about the aff ect the excess
weight was having on her health.
High blood pressure, joint pain and
breathing issues were the norm for the
44-year-old mother of two. Leonardo was
also diagnosed as pre-diabetic.
“My whole life I’ve struggled with
weight issues. I was always on diets,” said
Ms. Leonardo. “Aft er I had my kids, it
was worse.”
When her weight started impacting on
her ability to spend time with her children,
Ms. Leonardo knew she had to do
something.
“All I could do was work and go home
and sleep,” she said.
In November 2016, Leonardo underwent
gastric sleeve surgery at Long Island
Jewish Forest Hills. Her surgeon, Dr.
Allison Barrett, removed about 60 percent
of her stomach, which created a
small, sleeve-shaped stomach that reduces
the amount of food Leonardo needs to
feel full.
Leonardo’s operation is the most popular
form of weight-loss surgery in the
United States.
“Patients are attracted to the gastric
sleeve because of its simplicity,” said Dr.
Barrett, director of bariatric surgery at LIJ
Forest Hills. “It’s an operation that is only
on the stomach. It doesn’t impact parts of
the intestines and it doesn’t interfere with
your digestion or vitamin absorption,
unlike other types of weight-loss surgery.”
Recently, the hospital attained accreditation
from the American Society of
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery for its
bariatric program.
LIJ Forest Hills’ bariatric program
includes a team of health professionals –
surgeons, dietitians, physician assistants,
social worker, nurse coordinator and other
staff – who begin working with a patient
three-to-six months prior to surgery and
continue working with the patient aft erward
to make sure they’re doing everything
properly to ensure success.
Leonardo has definitely succeeded.
Now down to 155 pounds, she has been
able to stop taking her blood pressure
medication – a benefit of weight-loss
surgery, which also includes normalizing
blood sugar and blood lipid levels
– and walk without pain in her legs or
shortness of breath.
“Grisel’s been compliant with the
dietary guidelines we’ve given her.
She’s introduced exercise and physical
activity into her daily life and has followed
up with us regularly,” said Dr.
Barrett. “We know that patients who
follow-up with their surgery team after
their operation do much better and
Grisel has demonstrated that.”
Leonardo’s renewed health, outlook
and body has neighbors in her
Brooklyn neighborhood doing a double
take.
“People don’t even recognize me
when they see me in the street,” she
said. “I’ve taken my life back.”
