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

Presentations

Mission and Goals

The mission of Health 4 Life (H4L), a comprehensive weight management program, is to provide a safe and supportive environment for four- to 20-year-olds and their families who wish to improve their well-being through healthier diets and increased physical activity. Through individual clinic visits and group programming, H4L empowers participants to make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and their families.

The Health 4 Life program works with patients who have overweight or obesity as identified by their primary care physicians based on BMI percentile. Patients meet with doctors, dietitians, social workers, and a clinical exercise physiologist at each clinic visit. H4L families are encouraged to join group programming including physical activity for kids and nutrition education and

Number of clinic visits in 2019

250

Key Accomplishments

•H4L serves NewYork-Presbyterian

Ambulatory Care Network patients at both the East and West Campuses.

•Article publication in Obesity journal and presentation at the NYU Langone

Comprehensive Program on Obesity’s symposium on COVID-19 and Obesity on using telehealth to serve children with obesity during COVID-19.

•Transformation into a virtual program during COVID-19, serving patients through telehealth clinical visits and providing virtual exercise and nutrition education groups for kids and parents through Zoom.

support for parents.

• 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.