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Christy Van Ostrand, R.N., N.M., started her nursing career at Auburn Memorial Hospital after earning an LPN degree through Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES and an R.N. degree at Cayuga Community College. She progressed from being a Float Nurse to the Telemetry Unit, and then the Emergency Department. She then accepted the position of Nurse Manager of the Surgical/Orthopedic unit. It was on this unit that she began to work with patients who had gastric bypass surgery. They were some of the nicest people I had ever met. They are a very caring population who have struggled with so many things throughout their lives, she says. Working with Vicki Casper, R.N. and Dr. Chung Oh, the surgeon who performed the gastric bypass operations, Christy says the idea of forming an entire Weight Loss program designed just for this population was born. They would be able to support one another, encourage each other and develop long-time friendships. This was the basis for the formation of the Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program at AMH. Dr. Carl Weiss III, a surgeon with extensive experience in bariatric surgery, joined the AMH Medical Staff in 2005. He became the Surgical Director of the Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program and helped recruit Dr. Wendy Scinta in 2006 as Medical Director of the program. The program was so successful that in January, 2007, Christy was appointed as the full-time Coordinator. I have found my passion in bariatrics, she says. | 