The Las Palmas Weight Loss Center

According to the World Heath Organization, globally there are more than one billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them obese. The number of Americans suffering from obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. Las Palmas Medical Center recognizes the need for a solution to what the American Obesity Association defines as "a complex multi-factorial chronic disease involving environmental (social and cultural), genetic, physiologic, metabolic, behavioral and psychological components."

Las Palmas Medical Center takes great pride in having an extremely comprehensive Bariatric Program that includes dietary counseling, an exercise component, psychological support, and a complete medically-based wellness program along with surgical intervention.

The Multidisciplinary Team

• Bariatric Surgeons
• Program Director
• Registered Nurse
• Registered Dietitian
• Exercise Specialist
• Office Coordinator
• Referring Physician
• Psychologist

In addition to a comprehensive follow-up program, the bariatric team offers monthly support groups. The entire team is dedicated to helping their patients achieve their goals.

The Medical Directors

The Bariatric Center is also quite elite in its leadership. Co-Medical Directors at the Las Palmas Del Sol Bariatric Centers are both board certified general surgeons specializing in bariatric (weight loss) surgery. Doctors Jorge Acosta and Michael Lara both began at Del Sol Medical Center in 2004 after completing fellowships in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery. Dr. Lara, at Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin and Dr. Acosta, at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. They were both one of the first fellowship-trained bariatric trained surgeons in El Paso.

Dr. Acosta received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University. He then received his medical degree from the University of Texas medical branch in Galveston before completing his residency in general surgery at the Texas Tech Health Science Center in El Paso. Dr. Acosta is a member of the American Medical Association; the Texas Medical Association; the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Southwest Association of Hispanic American Physicians, the Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons and the Society of Laproendoscopic Surgeons.

Dr. Lara received his undergraduate degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas. He then received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston before completing his residency in General Surgery at the Texas Tech Health Science Center in El Paso. Dr. Lara is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons; the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery; the Texas Medical Association; the American Medical Association and the Southwest Association of Hispanic American Physicians.