The Division of General Surgery at the University of South Florida is an active clinical and academic entity focusing on complex surgical care. They endeavor to provide optimal patient outcome, excellent education and innovative research through tertiary care services, general and digestive disorders surgery, and trauma care. The ever-expanding bariatric service is offering more patients a variety of weight-reduction therapies. The service coordinates the specialized care required for these patients from initial visits through ongoing support groups.

As the primary teaching hospital for the University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa General serves a 14-county region and provides many medical services found nowhere else in the Tampa Bay area. The hospital contains the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, the regional burn center, one of the busiest solid organ transplant centers in the United States, and one of the area’s largest inpatient rehabilitation centers.

The Joint Commission performs one of the most rigorous reviews of hospitals around the country to assess quality of care provided. Tampa General is accredited by The Joint Commission - see Accreditations page for more information. In addition, The Joint Commission also examines specific medical programs to determine if each meets the criteria to become a Joint Commission certified program.

After having weight loss surgery, the body will not be able to absorb, use, or take in enough nutrients from diet alone, to maintain good health unless supplements are utilized.  For this reason, it is strongly urged that all post-op patients take daily vitamin supplements with iron, extra calcium, and vitamin B-12 to prevent nutritional deficiencies and related medical conditions, such as hair loss, skin problems, nausea, food intolerance, or more severe cases of malnutrition. 

Obesity Help strives to be the top weight loss site on the Web by providing you with helpful and complete information about weight loss surgery. The site allows visitors to learn about Gastric Bypass, LAP-BAND and non-surgical weight loss solutions, share weight loss experiences and resources with others, and get the answers to your questions about surgery by communicating with other members.

A serious solution for weight loss, this comprehensive, medically monitored OPTIFAST Program works because it offers a different path – one that’s clinically proven to help people lose weight and keep it off for the long term.