From extended blood pressure cuffs to roomier dental exam chairs and wider terry cloth hospital slippers, the health care industry continues to adapt to larger patients as America's obesity rate climbs. In Lake County, 36 percent of adults are considered obese, defined as having a body mass index greater than 30, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute most recent County Health Rankings. "We are one of the most weight-challenged counties in a state that ranks 13th in the nation," said Kathy O'Donnell, a nurse and manager of the Midwest Bariatric Institute at Franciscan St. Margaret Health hospital in Dyer.
