Health for Life

ROBYN TURETSKY • Program Coordinator • rkt9001@nyp.org x JANE CHANG, MD • Medical Director, Health for Life East • jac9009@med.cornell.edu x JOHN RAUSCH, MD • Medical Director, Health for Life West • jr2163@cumc.columbia.edu

Mission and Goals Number of People Reached

The mission of Health for Life (H4L), a comprehensive weight management program, is to provide a safe and supportive environment for 4-to-18year-olds and their families who wish to improve their health by eating a better diet and increasing their physical activity Through individual clinic visits and group programming, H4L empowers participants to make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and their families

H4L staff members work with patients who have been identified as overweight or obese by their primary care physicians, based on BMI percentile Patients meet with doctors, dietitians, social workers, and a clinical exercise physiologist at clinic visits Participants age 7 and older can engage in 8-week group programs, with each session consisting of one hour of nutrition education and one hour of physical activity

250

Key Accomplishments

• In 2018 H4L expanded and is now a bicampus program serving NewYork-

Presbyterian Ambulatory Care

Network patients at the Broadway

Practice and the HT-5 Pediatric

Practice

• Program participants have reported trying new foods in a group setting, eliminating sugary beverages from the house, and increasing daily walking • H4L staff participate in community outreach initiatives throughout the year to bring nutrition and fitness education to community partners

Presentations

• Foundations in Lifestyle Medicine course presentation to Weill Cornell Medicine students, 2017. • Presentation of Health for Life research results to the Weil Cornell Medicine

Atkins Journal Club.