STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A Stapleton clinic last week became the newest location for a lifestyle medicine program in New York City.
NYC Health + Hospitals, the city's public hospital system, celebrated the launch of the new program with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Gotham Health Vanderbilt clinic on the corner of Tompkins and Vanderbilt streets.
Michelle Macken, executive director of nutrition and lifestyle medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals, encourages patients to make lifestyle changes, including eating a healthy plant-based diet, increasing physical activity, and improving sleep habits Staten Island He praised the launch of the new program. Reduce stress, avoid drug use, and strengthen social connections.
“Healthy lifestyle behaviors are the cornerstone of prevention and treatment of common chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension,” Macken said. “The Lifestyle Medicine Program's talented multidisciplinary team provides patients with the guidance they need to develop healthier habits while addressing food insecurity and other major barriers to lifestyle change. It also contributes to coping.”
The city launched the program at Bellevue Hospital in 2019 and later expanded it to Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, and Woodhull and Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn. Officials plan to implement the program at additional sites not yet identified.
Vanderbilt's Gotham Health program can accept 32 new patients each month, and the care team includes physicians, nurses, nutritionists, health coaches, program coordinators and athletic trainers.
Adults who are prediabetic, have type 2 diabetes, or have health concerns related to high blood pressure, heart disease, or excess weight are eligible to enroll in the program.
Lifestyle wellness initiatives include one-on-one counseling sessions, group classes, six months of free delivery on fresh seasonal produce, cooking skills videos, and more.
Current patients at NYC Health + Hospitals can receive a referral to the program from their healthcare provider. Those who are not already patients at NYC Health + Hospitals can find out if they are eligible to enroll in the program by contacting 347-507-3695.
“We are excited to launch our lifestyle medicine program here at Gotham Health at Vanderbilt,” said Michelle Lewis, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health. “Gotham Health's Lifestyle Medicine Program at Vanderbilt provides patients with both the knowledge and tools to live a healthier lifestyle, including access to resources on plant-based eating and individual counseling sessions. To do.”
