For Diabetes Awareness Month, Three Patients Share How the Lifestyle Medicine Program Improved Their Diabetes

For Diabetes Awareness Month, Three Patients Share How the Lifestyle Medicine Program Improved Their Diabetes

Nov 21, 2024

New York, NY — As part of Diabetes Awareness Month,NYC Health + Hospitals today shared the story of three patients who improved their diabetes through the Lifestyle Medicine Program. The interdisciplinary program provides patients with the tools to make healthy lifestyle changes, including one-on-one counseling, weekly group classes, and fresh produce deliveries. Adults living with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or health concerns related to excess weight are eligible to enroll.

Patient Samuel Rios first came to NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull in February feeling dizzy and faint and experiencing blurry vision. Doctors found that his blood sugar (A1C) levels were extremely high. After being discharged from the hospital, Rios enrolled in the Lifestyle Medicine Program at Woodhull Hospital, where he learned skills including healthy food substitutions, mindfulness, and chair exercises he could do with his limited mobility. After six months in the program, Rios improved his A1C levels from 11.3% to 5.7% and was able to discontinue insulin. He also lost 45 pounds. More information about Rios’ story is available here.

“Joining the Lifestyle Medicine Program was the best decision I ever made,” said Samuel Rios, a patient of the Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. “Before this year, I knew I had diabetes and I had been hospitalized before for it. I tried changing my lifestyle habits on my own, and I almost didn’t make it. This program taught me so much about how to eat. I learned exercises I could do in my chair, and now I’m able to go for a walk every day. I sleep better, my stress levels are better, and I feel more confident.”

Patient Armando Perez Solis came to Woodhull Hospital to treat an infection and found out he had type 2 diabetes. His primary care doctor referred him to the Lifestyle Medicine Program, which he began in December. In the program, Solis learned how to prepare foods that are high in plant protein and low in saturated fats, like beans, lentils, and tofu. He began looking at nutrition labels on packaged foods, so he could choose products that are low in added sugar and sodium. He also learned the importance of a good night’s sleep for managing his stress, improving his energy, and making healthy choices, and he went from sleeping 4 hours a night to 6 hours a night. During his six months in the program, Solis was able to discontinue his diabetes medication and improve his A1C levels from 9.4% to 6.0%, putting his diabetes into remission. He also lost 30 pounds.

“The Lifestyle Medicine Program changed my life,” said Armando Perez Solis, a patient of the Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. “It’s difficult to change your habits, but they made it easier. At first, I didn’t think I could eat tofu. But I tried cooking it a few different ways, and now in the morning, instead of scrambled eggs, I make tofu with spinach. I used to be tired all the time, and now I feel happier, healthier, I have more energy, and I sleep better. This program gave me a second chance at living.”

Patient Davi Baez began the Lifestyle Medicine Program at Woodhull Hospital last November with multiple health issues including type 2 diabetes and severe asthma. She is also a cancer survivor. In the program, she learned skills including better sleep practices, new ways to prepare vegetables, and how to cook flavorful food without relying on high-sodium ingredients. After eight months in the program, she improved her A1C levels from 11.2% to 8.5% despite requiring several courses of prednisone, which can raise blood sugar, for her asthma. More information about Baez’s story is available here.

“The Lifestyle Medicine Program made it more reasonable to eat healthy. It even made it exciting,” said Davi Baez, a patient of the Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. “I love the program because of the camaraderie, the information, and all the questions we could ask. Now, I’m more active, and I’m able to breathe better. I wake up with more energy in the morning. This program gave me another chance at living again.”

Rios, Solis, and Baez are three of the over 3,000 patients who have participated in NYC Health + Hospitals’ Lifestyle Medicine Program since it first launched at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in 2019. Mayor Eric Adams championed the launch of the program in 2019 when he was the Brooklyn Borough President, and in the past year, his support expanded the program to six additional sites.  

“At one point in my life, I was at risk of losing my vision, as well as my fingers and toes, because of diabetes, but a change to my lifestyle saved my life. So, this issue is not just professional to me, but deeply personal,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “The lifestyle changes I made — from changing my diet and starting to more regularly exercise — changed the course of my health, and in a few weeks, my nerve damage, vision loss, high blood pressure, and other symptoms all subsided. That’s when I realized it wasn’t my DNA, but my dinner that was the source of my ailments. I encourage New Yorkers to take advantage of our Lifestyle Medicine Program and the many other resources we offer to improve your health. With changes to our lifestyle, diabetes does not need to be a part of our destiny.”

“Food is an integral piece of an individual’s health. By centering fresh and nutritious food in its treatment of diabetes and other chronic and diet-related disease, the Lifestyle Medicine Program has demonstrated that improving nutrition can make tangible changes to people’s lives,” said Mayor’s Office of Food Policy Executive Director Kate MacKenzie. “We’re proud to see how the program has helped patients better access fruits and vegetables and develop healthier eating habits, enabling them to live long, happy lives.”

“Lifestyle medicine has remarkable potential to transform type 2 diabetes outcomes, including achieving remission in some cases,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Executive Director of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Michelle McMacken, MD, FACP, DipABLM. “Our Lifestyle Medicine Programs empower patients to take charge of their health through evidence-based changes in nutrition, physical activity, sleep habits, and stress management, among others. We also address crucial social determinants of health, such as food insecurity. This approach not only improves blood sugar, but also reduces the risk of diabetes complications and may decrease medication burden. By treating key root causes of type 2 diabetes, we’re not just managing the disease—we’re giving our patients tools to reclaim their health and vitality.”

“Small changes make significant improvements in life,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull Medical Director of the Lifestyle Medicine Program Gül Bahtiyar, MD, MPH, DipABOM. “We teamed up to support our patients to reach to their goals of having healthy lives, with those small changes.”

The six- to nine-month Lifestyle Medicine Program 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 care team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, a certified nurse midwife (Woodhull location), a dietitian, a health coach, a program coordinator, a psychologist, community health workers, and an exercise trainer. The program is now available at seven sites and can serve approximately 4,000 patients each year. Current patients of NYC Health + Hospitals can get a referral to the program from their provider, and people who are not yet patients of NYC Health + Hospitals can see if they qualify to enroll in the program by contacting 347-507-3695.

The lifestyle medicine program provides every patient with the following resources:

• Six to nine one-on-one counseling sessions: Patients will have two to three visits each with a physician, nurse practitioner or certified nurse midwife, a dietitian, and a health coach to develop and implement a personalized care plan. 

• 14 weekly group classes: Topics will include reading nutrition labels, grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation, and sleep and stress management techniques.

• Eight weekly exercise classes: Patients will work with an exercise trainer and take home a resistance band for strength training.

• Six free, monthly deliveries of seasonal fresh produce: Patients will receive produce boxes delivered to their home, and they will work with dietitians to learn about incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diet across culinary traditions and skill levels. Delicious and healthy recipes developed by the team’s dietitians will accompany each produce box.

• Health Bucks. Patients will have access to Health Bucks, which are $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. Patients can learn cooking skills through short videos developed by the Lifestyle Medicine team in partnership with an online culinary school, Rouxbe. The videos will feature healthy cooking across various culinary traditions, including Caribbean, South American, Central American, and South Asian, and will be translated into Spanish, Mandarin, Bengali, and Haitian Creole.

• A plant-based cookbook: Each patient receives a cookbook on plant-based eating for overall health or specifically for type 2 diabetes.  

• Support accessing benefits: Community health workers and food navigator referrals help patients access free or low-cost nutrition resources and, for those eligible, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

The Lifestyle Medicine Program is now available at the following sites:

Bronx

Brooklyn

Manhattan

Queens

Staten Island

Particular attention has been placed on ensuring that the program’s group visit 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. Moreover, individual visits with the medical providers, dietitian, and health coach 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 requested 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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MEDIA CONTACT: PressOffice@nychhc.org

About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.