NYC Health + Hospitals last week said it will deliver free produce boxes to patients enrolled in the Lifestyle Medicine Program, geared towards New Yorkers who have diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Patients of the program will receive six free monthly deliveries of seasonal, fresh produce delivered to their home, according to a press release.
Patients in the program work with dietitians to learn about incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diet across culinary traditions and skill levels. A recent produce box included broccoli, bok choy, tomatoes, potatoes, peaches, and fennel.
The majority of the produce is sourced from local or regional farms, and the boxes are packaged and delivered by Farm to People, according to the press release.
The Lifestyle Medicine Program is a nine-month program to support 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.
"I know first-hand how important a good, affordable diet is for long-term health,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “By delivering free, healthy, monthly produce boxes to patients in our city’s Lifestyle Medicine Program, we will be able to help even more New Yorkers access fresh fruits and vegetables, combat chronic disease, and lead happier, healthier lives.”
The program is now available at seven sites and can serve approximately 4,000 patients each year. 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. 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 is now available at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County and NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull.
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.
- 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.
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, the press release said.
