Kathryn Czaplinski
/ Categories: NEWS, 2024

Capital Bariatrics joins Southwestern Vermont Medical Center’s New York practice

Caption: Surgeons Matthew D. McDonald, DO and Terence Clarke, MD lead the clinical team at Capital Bariatrics.

BENNINGTON, VT—March 11, 2025—Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, is expanding medical weight loss options in the region with Albany-based Capital Bariatrics.

Capital Bariatrics became a practice of SVMC’s Twin Rivers Medical, P.C in February and officially reopened the Albany office at 7 Southwoods Boulevard on March 10. The team is also practicing out of Bennington, Vermont.

“Capital Bariatrics has an established reputation in the region and years of expertise,” said Trey Dobson, MD, chief medical officer and vice president of clinical services at SVMC. “Building upon our existing relationship was a natural progression and one we know will have a positive impact on the communities we serve.”

The clinical team at Capital Bariatrics is led by surgeons Matthew D. McDonald, DO and Terence Clarke, MD. The team provides surgical options, medical weight loss programs, comprehensive support and post-surgery care.

“We’re thrilled to have the additional support and resources that come with being part of an exceptional healthcare system,” said Dr. Clarke. “We closely align in our commitment to providing individualized, safe and compassionate care.”

Dr. McDonald noted that the care team’s expertise and dedication to patients remains the same. 

“Bariatric surgery and medical weight loss is a life-changing journey for patients and we’re grateful to be back, doing what we do best, which is supporting patients on the path to a healthier life,” said Dr. McDonald.

Visit CapitalBariatrics.com or call the office at 518-641-6580 to learn more.

Caption: Surgeons Matthew D. McDonald, DO and Terence Clarke, MD lead the clinical team at Capital Bariatrics.

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About SVMC:

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVMC includes the Dartmouth Cancer Center at SVMC, the SVHC Foundation, as well as 25 primary and specialty care practices. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. SVMC provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

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Six Questions with General Surgeon Gina Diaz, MD

Both outpatient surgical procedures and those requiring an overnight stay are once again being offered at SVMC. General Surgeon Gina Diaz, MD, answers six questions about resuming surgical procedures safely.

1. How does it feel to be able to, once again, offer all of the procedures you had in the past?

As a surgeon, I like to do surgeries. So, to be honest, it feels wonderful get back to the work I enjoy. From late March through the beginning of May, we were still performing emergency surgeries, so everyone who needed a surgery was able to receive one during that time. But it's good to be back to a mix of scheduled and emergency procedures.

 

2. What types of procedures you perform?

My mentor during training sub-specialized in colon and rectal surgeries, and he passed that expertise and interest on to me. But I decided not to sub-specialize, because I also enjoy doing gall bladders, ulcer surgery, hernias, and the removal of skin lesions, cysts, and melanomas. Dr. Charles Salem and I work as a team on breast cancer surgeries. As a group, we provide thyroid and parathyroid and endocrine surgeries. And I provide colonoscopies. I grew up playing video games, which have a lot in common with colonoscopies, I think.

 

3. What do you like most about your job?

Surgery allows you to fix a problem for a patient right then and there. You don't have to wait 6 months for the problem to get better. You can make a problem go away. It’s very rewarding in that way.

 

4. In general, what additional precautions have been put in place to ensure that care is safe?

As surgeons, our precautionary measures have always been among the most advanced. We have always washed and sanitized many, many times a day. We were accustomed to wearing masks and shields, long before COVID-19. We implemented all of the recommendations from our industry, state, and national health institutions and review them consistently.

The whole team takes and reports their temperature daily. If patients are at risk of COVID-19, we wear N95 masks and can convert the operating room into a negative-pressure room. All of these precautions ensure that we don’t transmit infections to patients and they don't transmit them to us. I feel really good about the precautions that we have put in place.

 

5. What would you like to share with people who postponed care because of COVID-19?

I would share that it is safe to come to the hospital, see your providers, and have surgeries done. Adequate precautions are in place, and they are not going anywhere. We, as a group, feel it's safe. We encourage patients who are apprehensive to ask a lot of questions. We want them to be as comfortable as we are about having their procedure done.

 

6. How do you feel about providing care during this time?

I feel comfortable and safe providing care at this time. The new precautions we have put in place really protect both patients and staff, and the quality of care we provide is as high as ever. 

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