For institutions looking to make sure they'll pass the SRC inspection, TSK Products offers facility assessment services.

"You follow the complete pathway of the patient and look for everything that can accommodate their needs, as if we were SRC and looking for what they would," explains Klein.


During the assessment, the company makes recommendations about what equipment should be purchased immediately, what will be needed in six months and what can wait a few years, says Klein.

In his clinic in New Orleans, Treen has his work cut out: Louisiana has one of the highest obesity rates in the country. Treen says there is a great demand for bariatric surgery but for many, the barriers are rooted in financing the procedure.




"We see the vast majority of patients are coming in and pursuing weight loss surgery because they recognize that their health is either poor already as a consequence of their obesity," he says, "or they see the risk of developing worsening health situations if they don't do something to reverse their weight problem."

A high BMI in OB/GYN

America's obesity contributes to many negative consequences for the individual, but in one health care sector, two lives may be at risk. Maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with many complications, including birth defects, preeclampsia, gestational hypertension and macrosomia. According to the CDC, children born to obese mothers are also twice as likely to be obese and develop type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Michael Brodman, professor and chair of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, N.Y., says that obese mothers are also more likely to have a Cesarean delivery, undergo a shoulder dystocia delivery, experience birth trauma and a slew of other complications.

"The morbidity is higher in obesity in almost every category," he says.
Recognizing the possible risks associated with obese women delivering babies, some hospitals are not only updating their maternity wards, but also collaborating on possible solutions.

The medical team at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y, delivered 7,746 babies last year, making it the busiest obstetrics unit in the state. Among the women giving birth at the center, 38 percent are obese.

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