Valley Baptist HealthSystem Bariatric Center

Dr. Barba and his staff have been very helpful and friendly throughout my entire process, so far. It took 4 months to get my first appointment with him. I understand, since there are only 2 surgeons in Connecticut, that there is a long waiting list. I hope that there will be more in the future to facilitate this need. Dr. Barba's staff has prepared me for everything. Now I just wait....2 weeks to go! : )

My first impression of Dr. Barba was that he is so down to earth, with a great sense of humor. He put me at ease immediately.

I was very impressed with the fact that Dr. Barba, Dr. Lorenzo & their staff, stayed for the entire support group, (about 2 hrs). I think most doctors would of just popped in, had a few words to say and leave. He showed a great deal of interest in everything the group members had to say.

His office staff has been wonderful as well. Rosemary has made the whole process so easy. She made sure that you were fully informed about the whole procedure, the risks & pre-op care.

The nutritionist was very helpful & had so many suggestions to make your new way of eating more tolerable. She also let you know that she is always just a phone call away after the surgery if you need any advise.

There is absolutely nothing negative that I can think to say about the surgeons or their staff. I wish all doctors could be this caring of their patients.

I only spoke to his nurse just once, she called to give me an appointment...Just from that call I can already tell that they are cool people....

I think Dr. Barba is a wonderful person, a caring man and a great Doctor. He was so very sincere and down to earth. He explained everthing, including possible risks and asked me if I had any questions. I didn't feel rushed by him at all and the 3 times I have met with him have all been very pleasant experiences. He does truly understand our pain and has "in thier own words" saved many peoples lives as I heard for myself in 2 support groups I attended. He is a terrific person as well and with such a personal and usually painful subject as obesity-he made me feel comfortable and okay instead of embarrassed as I have felt by many members of the medical profession in the past. I like Rosemary, his assistant, very much also. She is helpful and kind and always is happy and smiling every time I see her. I am confident in this man to do my surgery on September 11th. I feel very safe and know I am in the best hands possible.

Wonderful, very caring and informative.

He is still a great doctor, at 15 months post-op, he is still caring and listens to all his patients concern.

The office staff is okay, but not as comforting and caring as the doctor.

His bedside manner is great also, he doesn't talk down to you, as if he's a doctor and you're a nobody.

I highly recommend him.

I think I just deleted my old entry. Oops.

Dr. Barba works out of St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Ct. He has a history in trauma surgery, and is very knowledgable. He answers all questions in detail and is not afraid to talk about the complications that he has encountered. I'm a nurse, and believe me, I grilled him. (My first question was to ask him to tell me about his morbidity rate and complications.) I have complete faith in this man's skills and abilities as a surgeon, and feel very comfortable.

On a more personal note, Dr. Barba is a very kind, compassionate person who understands the struggle that people who have morbid obesity go through. He gets it. His staff is incredibly nice, competent, and organized. Rosemary is knowledgeable and so peaceful. Dr. Barba really offers a complete program, not just the surgical procedure itself. They have a very organized system of setting up the numerous evaluations, and they know how to document the case to get quick approval from the insurance company. They offer a support group which meets monthly, and which is incredible. I appreciate Dr. Barba's honesty and up front approach. He gives you a very accurate picture of what to expect. He is a good educator, makes a great group counselor, and he's a good surgeon. During my first meeting, I was amazed at how many people at the support group stated that he gave them their lives back and thanked him. I've never seen a doctor receive so much admiration from his patients. As a nurse, I was quite impressed. And as a patient, I am relieved to know that I am in good hands. June 13th is the big day.

He is a very warm, open and caring man



They have only gotten better.

Rosemary, his nurse is the greatest.
Ada the receptionist is helpful as well
I have no complaints at all

He takes all the time you need to ask
questions and talks to you in terms you understand
you are seen weekly for 6 weeks or so
and then monthly
yes

very thoroughly, he even talks about his less than perfect
surgeries and what he has changed because of them. I never met a Dr. like him!
double excellent

both

I had my first appointment with Dr. Barba and his staff. I found him and Rosemary to be extremely helpful and understanding.

I look forward to this journey with them. I felt very comfortable and relaxed.

All my visits with each Doctor that is part of the WLS team at St. Francis Hospital was very helpful and understanding. It was a pleasure not having to hear "You need to lose weight" because they all knew why I was there!

There are support group meetings thatI plan on attending also.

I have not met him yet, my dealings have
with his office over the phone. I will meet
him in September.
9/23/99
Well, I got to meet the Dr. and his staff. They
were very helpful and informative. They made
all the appointments I need to go to for the
testing they do BEFORE they put my case
in front of the steering commitee. I am not at all unhappy
with the people I met. As a matter or fact, I
spent some time talking with people
in his waiting room and was VERY encouraged.

As you know by now, I have met the Dr more than once, and each time I am impressed by how much he remembers about everyone he sees in the office or waiting room. He often comes out into the waiting room to have the patient come in, and always greets the others in the room by name. Even my regular Dr (Who I adore) does not do that. I did run into two ladies who had less than wonderful stories to tell, one had surgery done in Oct and this was the firs time she had been out of the Hospital (in January!) the other lady told of trouble with a bile duct that was overlooked and continued to drain requiring another operation. But all in all I am still looking at the bright side. His staff is wonderful and seem to be commited to making everything run smooth. He took the time to lead our support group the other night...as Hubby said, in his field of work time is money, but he took the time to be at that meeting and he called his patients by name. I have had the same OBGYN for years, and I'll bet he could not tell you my name without having my chart in his hand. Dr Barba ia very open about the risks and the people he worked on in the past that have not had the best results possible, some of which were sad stories. He's great, and he does not try to come off as unreachable higher power. He even talked to us about the money aspect of his choosen profession when asked about it. I think he's pretty cool.

December 14, 1999- I met with Dr. Barba today. I got the impression he really cares about his patients. He explained to me what type of surgery he performs which is the gastric bypass rny and all about the risks that are involved with this type of surgery.
His staff was also great! Rosemary will call me in about 10 days to schedule all my appointments for testing and if all goes well surgery will be around March or April. Dr. Barba does have an aftercare program and I happened to attend one of the support meetings being held today as well. It was very informative and I met people that were considering surgery, people who had surgery dates, and post-ops.