Hamilton-based virtual weight management clinic launches
Published March 8, 2023 at 1:32 pm
A clinic offering help for one of the commonest health issues in North America — managing one’s weight — has launched in Hamilton.
Physician-supervised weight loss in Ontario is accessible through the province’s OHIP health insurance. That said, on Wednesday (March 8) the Medical Weight Management Centre of Canada (MWM) announced the launch of clinic that provides access to comprehensive obesity treatment. The six-month foundational program costs $1,200 (plus tax) and, according to MWM, “focuses on intensive, individualized treatment.” Presently, it is available to anyone in Ontario and Nova Scotia who has a primary care provider, although a referral from a doctor is not needed.
MWM is headquartered on Sanford Ave. N. in Hamilton. It has eight doctors and 12 registered dietitians available to treat patients. It stated in a release that its approach to weight management is designed by two of the doctors, Dr. David Macklin and Dr. Megha Poddar. They are also co-authors of the 2020 Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines.
“Canadians have struggled for far too long while waiting for access to obesity treatment, especially when safe and effective treatment exists” Poddar states. “After years of firsthand clinical experience, we have developed MWM — a program that is designed specifically to address the unique challenges faced by individuals living with obesity. It’s time to take action and provide our patients with the support and resources they need.”
The clinic offers a 25-minute free virtual consultation. The clinic says it will help cients “navigate coverage options for dietitian services, program costs, and medication costs through your private insurance provider.”
Obesity Canada says that obesity-related health-care costs are around $9 billion per year. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has also said that 11 per cent of the nation’s total health expenditure is accounted for by treating medical conditions that are complications of obesity — such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancers.
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In 2019, the OECD said that having excess body mass accounts for 71 per cent of treatment costs associated with diabetes across its 36 member nations.
Further information about MWM is available at mwmcc.ca.
There are family medicine clinics in Hamilton that have on-site doctors whose practise includes weight loss. The Wilson Family Medical Centre in the downtown Beasley neighbourhood is one such example.
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