The Surgical Weight Loss Program at Harlingen Medical Center is a method of long-term weight control for morbidly obese adults. Compared to non-surgical treatments, bariatric surgery has the longest period of sustained weight loss in patients who have failed other therapies. Obesity is now recognized by leading government health authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a disease. Weight loss surgery is recommended as a treatment option for people with obesity that have a BMI >   40 or a BMI of 35 - 39.9 with serious medical conditions.