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continued from page 28

jews d
in 
the

Lighthouse, a Pontiac-based non-
profit dedicated to fighting home-
lessness and poverty, broke ground 
on Coolidge Place, the organization’
s 
first new-construction multifamily 
development since merging with 
South Oakland Shelter. 
The new $15 million project, 
located west of Coolidge Highway 
just north of 8 Mile in Oak Park, will 
create 64 high-quality townhome and 
ranch-style apartments for lower-
income working families. Construc-
tion is expected to be complete by 
fall 2020.
Of the 64 rental units planned for 
Coolidge Place, 16, or 25 percent, 

will be designated for residents with 
special needs. The site will also 
include green space and a commu-
nity center. Rent will range from 
$454 to $989 per month for one- to 
three-bedroom units for qualified 
residents.
“
Affordable housing is hard to find 
in Michigan. Working a full-time job 
no longer guarantees you will be able 
to afford a place to live,” said Oak 
Park Mayor Marianne McClellan. 
“This problem has reached crisis 
proportions nationally, but we are 
beginning to solve it in Oak Park.”

Lighthouse Breaks 
Ground in Oak Park

COURTESY OF LIGHTHOUSE

stomach into two sections, form-
ing a small pouch that serves as 
the “new” stomach. This limits the 
amount of food a person can eat. It 
also gives a feeling of fullness and 
satisfaction with smaller food por-
tions. A part of the small intestine 
is also bypassed, limiting food and 
caloric absorption. 
In gastric sleeve surgery, about 85 
percent of the stomach is removed 
and is reconstructed to look like a 
sleeve. Unlike gastric bypass, the 
sleeve procedure does not entail 
malabsorption of calories and 
nutrients.
Zalesin said gastric bypass sur-
gery is a very involved surgery and 
difficult, though not impossible, to 
reverse. The gastric sleeve surgery 
is irreversible. 
She said that patients undergo 
a full psychological evaluation to 
make sure they understand and are 

ready for bariatric surgery. Patients 
also work with nutritionists and 
other medical staff to help them 
after their surgeries are complete.
“Our patients need to make 
lifestyle changes if they want 
to achieve their greatest weight 
loss and permanent weight loss,” 
Zalesin said. “These procedures are 
not a cure. They are positioned as 
a tool.”
As tools, bariatric surgeries can 
significantly reduce a patient’
s risks 
of coronary artery disease and mor-
tality rates due to diabetes, high 
blood pressure, sleep apnea, choles-
terol levels and cancer, according to 
Zalesin.
“It’
s a little bit of a paradigm 
shift from internal medicine,” she 
said. “This is a shift because we’
re 
talking about remission from medi-
cations. This makes the practice (of 
bariatric medicine) super joyful.” ■
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