Martha Heins was preparing for an influx of patients to her new project as the region struggled with the coronavirus outbreak. She was helping to open Mary Washington Healthcareâs Weight Loss Center with Dr. Denis Halmi in May 2020.
Although COVID-19 was taking its toll on local offices, restaurants and businesses, forcing them to close, the practice offering bariatric surgery was just starting to boom, and there has been a steady stream of patients ever since.
âWe have been swamped,â said Heins.
Heins, who screens and prepares patients for surgery, said the center has exceeded all expectations. She said over the last year, Halmi went from performing surgeries two Wednesdays each month to performing surgeries every Wednesday plus two Tuesdays each month.