Lifestyle Medicine

NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln recently launched Lifestyle Medicine in 2024, marking the first time the program is available in the South Bronx. The Lifestyle Medicine 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. They addresses the 6-pillars of health, addressing and delivering care holistically.

The nine-month 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 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. This offering will launch in early 2024.
• Health Bucks: Patients will have access to Health Bucks, $2 coupons that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at New York City farmers’ markets. Five of the seven program sites have farmers’ markets on their campus.
• Culinary skills videos: Patients can learn new culinary skills through short videos developed by NYC Health + Hospitals, 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. This offering will launch in summer 2024.
• A plant-based cookbook: Cookbooks on plant-based eating for Type 2 diabetes will be available.
• Support accessing benefits: Community health workers and food navigator referrals will help eligible patients access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and nutrition resources.

The Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln can accommodate 48 new patients each month, and the care team includes physicians, a nurse practitioner, a dietitian, a health coach, a program coordinator, a psychologist, community health workers, and an exercise trainer. 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.

Residents of Internal Medicine Program will soon be part of this amazing experience as part of their clinical exposure.