Washington, DC – National Obesity Care Week (NOCW) is proud to announce that through a collaboration with Ethicon*, part of Johnson & Johnson** Medical Device Companies and Leavitt Risk Partners (LRP) a total of eight patients in need throughout the U.S. will receive the life changing treatment of bariatric surgery at no cost. NOCW 2017 is brought
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Washington, DC – For a long time now, Canadians have taken pride in their system of universal healthcare. In the U.S., more people than ever before now have health insurance, but a new study presented today at ObesityWeek 2017 shows that one thing hasn’t improved in either country. Access to medical care that will actually help a
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Tampa, Fla. – October 29th marks the beginning of National Obesity Care Week (NOCW), a national campaign aimed to change the way we care about obesity by creating a society that understands, respects and accepts the complexities of obesity and values science-based care. Today, more than 90 million adult Americans are affected by the disease of obesity. For
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Tampa, Fla. –The 2017 Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) (S830) (HR1953) has surpassed 110 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives with a total of 111 legislators supporting the Act. This critical legislation will provide Medicare beneficiaries with additional treatment tools to help seniors address their obesity. The bill provides CMS with the authority to
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For most of my life, I have wanted to be an advocate for something. Be a voice of change and influence for others. In January of 2016, I had my first surgery, and I spent most of the year relearning myself with this new tool in place. At the end of 2016, through Nikki Massie,
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As a first-time Your Weight Matters National Convention attendee, I was unsure what to expect when I signed-up for the Convention. The unknown of whether or not I would feel welcomed or even experience a sense of belonging. Although many people in my life understand the reason why I had bariatric surgery, very few actually
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“I really don’t want to go on this trip.” “Who picked New Orleans in August… during hurricane season?” “I have a bad feeling about this.” “I don’t want to get stuck there like I did in Dallas.” The above was my internal AND external dialogue in the week leading up to the 2017 Your Weight
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Tampa, Fla. –  New Orleans was host to the Obesity Action Coalition’s (OAC) 6th Annual Your Weight Matters National Convention. The OAC welcomed upwards of 550 registrants to YWM2017, providing individuals eager to learn more about weight management strategies the opportunity to learn from the country’s foremost experts on weight, health, nutrition, weight bias and more. More than 50 educational
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Written by Maria Caprigno, OAC/Convention Welcoming Committee Member My name is Maria Caprigno and just last summer, my mom Terrie and I attended the 2016 Your Weight Matters National Convention in Washington, DC. As a long-time member of the OAC, I have been attending Your Weight Matters Conventions for a few years now and have
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Tampa, Fla. – The U.S. has been battling weight bias for years, and new research shows that it is also a significant problem in Europe. Ted Kyle, RPh, MBA, OAC National Board member, provided 2017 European Congress on Obesity (ECO2017) attendees with new insights into European views of obesity and those affected by it. From a
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Written by Alana Garrett, OAC Member and YWM2016 Attendee I had been overweight for as long as I could remember, and after trying everything to lose weight, I was exhausted and defeated. I had my daughter Matilda in January 2015, and this made me realize that I owed it to myself to be a healthy
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Tampa, Fla. – The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), a 58,000 member-strong nonprofit organization, is cautioning comedian Bill Maher to recognize that obesity is a serious health issue and not leverage weight bias, in any situation, as a tactic to encourage healthy behaviors. During the August 18th episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO, Mr. Maher used
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