Arkansas Heart Hospital (AHH) announced it has expanded its nationally accredited bariatric services to its clinics in Russellville, Ark., and Texarkana, Texas. Effective Jan. 18, Dr. Oscar Talledo will see patients at the hospital system’s Russellville clinic on the third Wednesday of the month. Dr. JJ Tucker will begin seeing patients in Texarkana on the second Tuesday of the month starting Feb. 9. Both physicians will provide patient consultations and follow-up appointments. All surgeries will be performed at the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at Encore Medical Center in Bryant. 

“We are grateful to Drs. Talledo and Tucker for their willingness to expand their practices and bring their expertise to the patients of Russellville, Texarkana and beyond,” said Dr. Bruce Murphy, CEO of Arkansas Heart Hospital. “With our Bariatric and Metabolic Institute’s recent accreditation as a Center of Excellence, this is the perfect time to expand these services and allow more Arkansans and Texans to receive the transformative health benefits of weight loss surgery.”

To celebrate the new markets, the physicians will welcome patients to their respective clinics for a Weight Loss Surgery Informational Seminar and Clinic Open House. In addition to the opportunity to hear from and ask the physician questions, each session will include bariatric-friendly food tastings, games, giveaways and testimonials by local patients who underwent bariatric surgery.

 Dr. Talledo is a bariatric surgeon, board-certified by the American Board of Surgery. He completed a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery and bariatrics at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and a residency in general surgery at the University of Oklahoma Health and Science Center. He completed medical school at the Universidad de San Martin de Porres in Lima, Peru.

Dr. Tucker is a bariatric surgeon, board-certified by the American Board of Surgery. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons. He completed a fellowship in bariatrics, robotics and minimally invasive surgery at Lousiana State University School of Medicine in Baton Rouge, La, and a residency in general surgery at Wellspan York Hospital in York, Pa. He completed medical school at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine.