St. Joseph Mercy Hospital has announced that  Zubin Bhesania, MD, and Anthony W. Boutt, MD, have joined with the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) in providing bariatric surgical services. A surgeon at Huron Surgical Clinic, PC, Zubin Bhesania, MD, received his medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1993, and completed his surgical residency at St. John Hospital in Detroit. Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Bhesania was the first surgeon in the state of Michigan to actively perform lap band surgery and has been involved in several lap band research studies. Anthony W. Boutt, MD, has been on staff at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital since 2002 and has provided general and bariatric surgical services through Huron Surgical Clinic, PC. He obtained his medical degree from Wayne State University in 1997, and completed his general surgical residency at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in 2002. He has been trained and certified in providing bariatric surgery for more than nine years. 
Leading the center’s opening is Tammy Kwarciak, RN, who has been named Director of Bariatric Services at St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron (SJMPH). Dedicated to providing the most advanced programs and services for center patients, Tammy comes to SJMPH with 10 years’ experience providing bariatric clinical coordination and leadership as well as maintaining Centers of Excellence standards for Bariatric Services at an award-winning center.  This expansive new program will provide patients access to adjustable gastric banding and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in an environment dedicated to their specific needs. Additional services will include an important medical weight loss program and exercise component as well as panniculectomy, which is the removal of excess skin after substantial weight loss. With qualified staff, dedication to patient care and clinical outcomes, and physician expertise, MBI at St. Joseph Mercy is expected to obtain its national accreditation as a Centers for Excellence program later this year.  Bariatric services are slated to open Monday, January 23, 2012, with the first patient education seminar planned for Thursday, January 26, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. To learn more about bariatric services at St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron, to make an appointment, or to register for one of our upcoming educational sessions, call 810-985-1650.  To find out more about St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron and the Michigan Bariatric Institute, visit us online at: mymercy.us. Look for newly scheduled bariatric surgery educational events by following St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron on facebook and twitter.