At Dr. Andrew Hargroder’s office, there is nothing more important to us than the health and well-being of our patients and staff. We have always followed universal precautions to keep our office clean and germ free. In light of Coronavirus, COVID-19, and in keeping with the recommendations provided by the CDC and the hospitals, we are taking extra precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone who enters our office. We have increased cleaning and sanitizing of all areas in the office, especially patient rooms and common spaces as often as necessary and appropriate before, during, and after clinic. Please know that we will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure that our patients and our staff are in a safe and healthy environment.

If you have an appointment or if you are scheduled for surgery and present with flu-like symptoms of fever, coughing, shortness of breath, etc., we respectfully ask that you notify our office by phone so that your appointment or surgery can be rescheduled. Prevention is the key to containment of viruses like COVID-19, which is why for the safety of our patients and our staff, please ask yourself these questions and call our office if you answer yes to any of them so that we can get your appointment rescheduled:

• Do you or a family member have any symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath?
• In the last 14 days, have you had contact with someone with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, someone under investigation for COVID-19, or who are ill with a respiratory illness?
• Do you live in a community where there have been multiple confirmed COVID-19 cases?
• Have you traveled internationally within the last 14 days to countries with sustained community transmission?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, we will reschedule your appointment or surgery once you are well and clear of any potential illness for a minimum of 14 days.

Hand hygiene and what you need to know:

• Stay home when you are sick and if you have a fever, cough, vomiting or diarrhea.
• Everyone should wash their hands frequently with soap and water when possible as this is the preferred method or use hand sanitizer when washing with soap and water is not available. Hand sanitizers are available throughout our office.
• Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing and/or coughing (a shoulder or inside of the elbow when tissue is not available) and throw away the tissue when finished.
• Avoid shaking hands and use other methods of acknowledgment and communicating.

For local updates and information on how you can protect yourself, please visit the Louisiana Department of Health’s web page dedicted to Coronavirus at http://ldh.la.gov/Coronavirus/

Thank you for your cooperation and support during this time. We will all get through this by working together.

~ Stay well, Dr. Hargroder and Staff

About Dr. Hargroder

Dr. Andrew Hargroder is a bariatric surgeon specializing in surgical and non-surgical minimally-invasive weight loss. He has successfully performed approximately 4,000 weight loss surgery procedures and is the most experienced surgeon specializing in surgical weight loss methods in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, area.

After receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree at Louisiana State University (LSU), Dr. Hargroder completed his surgery residency at LSU as well. He began a private practice in 1991 and became an active bariatric surgeon in 2002. Dr. Hargroder’s practice received a Surgery Center of Excellence designation, certified by the American Society