Dr. Richard A. Fermelia

Dr. Hovey is the Director of Weight Management and has been the Chairman of the Surgery Department at CHI Health Immanuel since 2012. He is board certified in Surgery, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a Fellow of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.While growing up in Council Bluffs, he graduated from Lewis Central High School. After attending the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Iowa State University for his undergraduate studies, Dr. Hovey received his Medical Degree from the University of Iowa in 1997. He completed a surgical internship at Creighton University, served as a Flight Surgeon in the United States Air Force, and finished his surgical training at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines in 2004. Upon honorably fulfilling his commitment as a general surgeon in the Air Force, he decided to come back home to the Midwest where he has been a valued member of the Omaha medical community since 2006.He is one of the most experienced weight loss surgeons in the region, having performed thousands of procedures including the sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, adjustable gastric band, Single Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileostomy (SADI), duodenal switch (DS), ORBERA (endoscopic gastric balloon), and complex revision surgery.In addition to bariatric surgery, he performs a high volume of laparoscopic, minimally invasive, and robotic surgery including gallbladder removal, hiatal hernia repair, inguinal/abdominal wall hernia repair, and colon resection. His expertise, passion, clinical acumen, and surgical skills have resulted in Dr. Hovey receiving numerous teaching awards from the Creighton University School of Medicine’s General Surgery Residency where he carries an appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor.Dr. Hovey uses his years of experience in all aspects of weight loss surgery to feed his passion for helping patients reach their goals of living longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.Dr. Hovey also contributes to theCHI Health Better You Blog. Dr. Hovey is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Obesity in Children. His top areas of expertise are Hernia, Familial Colorectal Cancer, Gallbladder Disease, Sleeve Gastrectomy, and Hernia Surgery.

Robert Cunningham is a Bariatric Medicine provider in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Dr. Cunningham is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Obesity in Children. His top areas of expertise are Obesity, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Obesity in Children, Endoscopy, and Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Thomas White is a General Surgeon and an Orthopedics provider in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. White is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Obesity in Children. His top areas of expertise are Hernia, Paget Disease of the Breast, Breast Cancer, Sleeve Gastrectomy, and Gastrectomy. Dr. White is currently accepting new patients.