Lifestyle Medicine Program begins citywide expansion
NYC Health + Hospitals announced this week that its nationally recognized Lifestyle Medicine Program has expanded to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi in the Bronx. This is the first of six new sites to make the program available citywide.
The pilot program, launched at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in 2019 with the support of then-Borough President Eric Adams, has already seen hundreds of patients. The program’s team supports patients in making evidence-based lifestyle changes, including a healthful plant-based diet, increased physical activity, improved sleep habits, stress reduction, avoidance of substance use, and stronger social connections.
Adults living with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or health concerns related to excess weight are eligible to enroll.
The program can accommodate 48 new patients each month, and the care team at each site includes physicians, a nurse practitioner, a dietitian, a health coach, community health workers, a psychologist, a program coordinator, and an exercise trainer.
In the wake of the launch at Jacobi, NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, Kings County, Lincoln, Elmhurst, and Gotham Health, Vanderbilt will launch in the coming months. Current patients of NYC Health + Hospitals can get referrals to the program from their providers, and people who are not yet patients of NYC Health + Hospitals can see if they qualify to enroll in the program by calling 347-507-3695.
“I joined the new Lifestyle Medicine Program a month ago, and already I feel so much better,” said Skyler Myres, a patient at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. “I no longer have diabetes. My blood pressure is lower, and I no longer need to take one of my blood pressure medications. I have more energy. I feel it in the morning when I exercise—it’s easier to do things than it was before. I really enjoy the camaraderie of the team here, and they’re always there for me when I call with a question. I feel welcome here.”
The Lifestyle Medicine Program’s nine-month program provides every patient with these resources:
- Six to nine one-on-one counseling sessions—two to three visits each with a physician or nurse practitioner, dietitian, and health coach to develop and implement a personalized care plan.
- 14 weekly group classes about topics such as reading nutrition labels, grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation, and sleep and stress management techniques.
- Eight weekly exercise classes, working with an exercise trainer and receiving a resistance band for strength training to take home.
- Six free, monthly deliveries of seasonal fresh produce—patients will work with dietitians to learn about incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diet across culinary traditions and skill levels; recipes developed by the team’s dietitians accompany each produce box (launches early 2024).
- Access to Health Bucks—$2 coupons that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at NYC farmers markets. Five of the seven program sites have farmers’ markets on their campus.
- Culinary skills videos so patients can learn cooking skills through short videos developed by the Lifestyle Medicine team in partnership with an online culinary school, Rouxbe. Videos feature healthy cooking from various culinary traditions, including Caribbean, South American, Central American, and South Asian, and will be translated into Spanish, Mandarin, Bengali, and Haitian Creole (launches early 2024).
- A plant-based cookbook; cookbooks for plant-based eating for type 2 diabetes are available as well.
- Support with accessing benefits from community health workers for patients who are eligible for SNAP benefits and nutrition resources.
Each site will partner with local community-based organizations to explore ways to support community members in nutrition and other aspects of lifestyle change. The Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi will collaborate with the Throggs Neck Community Alliance in the Bronx.
Particular attention has been placed on ensuring that the curriculum is relevant for patients from diverse backgrounds and experiences. For example, the Spanish-language curriculum reflects cultural adaptations, not simply a translation of the English-language version. Individual visits with the medical providers, dietitians, and health coaches allow for tailored behavior change recommendations based on each patient’s social, financial, cultural, and family context.Formal evaluations of the Bellevue pilot program revealed a successful implementation process; extremely high demand for services (more than 850 patients asked to enroll in the first few months); and positive health outcomes, including clinically and statistically significant improvements in weight, glycemic control, and diastolic blood pressure.
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