Vermont Business MagazineThe YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program helps adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes reduce their risk for developing the disease by taking steps that will improve their overall health and well-being. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention evidence-based program is delivered over a 12-month period in a supportive small group classroom setting.Sixteen weekly one-hour sessions are followed by eight monthly sessions. Facilitated by trained lifestyle coach Elisha Underwood, the class is scheduled to begin onFebruary 2, 2017and will be held Thursdays at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in conference room B, located off of the cafeteria from5:30pm – 6:30PM.
Through a partnership with the Greater Burlington YMCA and Vermont Blueprint for Health (Department of Vermont Health Access), this program is being offered to Vermonters free of charge.
“The Vermont Department of Health estimates 25 to 30 percent of Vermont adults have prediabetes,” according to Wendy Cornwell, BMH’s Director of Community Initiatives and its Blueprint for Health project. “Most people with prediabetes are not aware of their condition. If left untreated, 75 percent of those with prediabetes will develop diabeteswithin 10 years.”
The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is based on the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with CDC, which showed that lifestyle changes and modest weight reduction can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent among those with prediabetes.
In order to qualify for the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, participants must be at least 18 years old, overweight (BMI≥ 25) and at high risk for developing diabetes type 2 or have been diagnosed with prediabetes.
Pre-registration is requiredfor this free program. Those with questions or wishing to register should call Elisha Underwood at802-257-8867.
Founded in 1904, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) is a licensed, 61-bed, not-for-profit community hospital located in southeastern Vermont, serving a rural population of about 55,000 people in 22 towns in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The BMH medical staff includes board-certified providers in primary care and many other specialties, with a shared mission of providing exceptional health care delivered with compassion and respect. The Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Health System includes the BMH Medical Group, a multispecialty group practice of primary care and specialty care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Over 110 active volunteers assist BMH’s 600 employees in caring for our community.
Brattleboro, VT –(January 13, 2017)–The YMCA