Photo Courtesy of Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor Adams said a plant-based diet “saved my life.”
By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) on Monday announced a new partnership — as a result of a $44 million investment by ACLM — to provide every City health care practitioner with free introductory training in nutrition and lifestyle medicine, enabling practitioners to integrate evidence-based content into their clinical practice to treat certain health conditions.
According to Adams, the initial phase will include practitioners at 20 hospitals and health systems that serve millions of New Yorkers. The $44 million investment from ACLM will cover training for up to 200,000 doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, dietitians, and other health care professionals in New York City and is the largest lifestyle medicine training rollout in the world.
Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses evidence-based, therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes. Clinicians certified in lifestyle medicine are trained to apply evidence-based, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, in some cases, achieve remission of certain common chronic conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine — a healthful plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections — also provides effective prevention for many common chronic conditions.
Adams is a fervent believer in plant-based dieting.
“A plant-based diet restored my eyesight, put my Type 2 diabetes into remission, and helped save my life,” said Adams. “Our administration has invested in expanding lifestyle medicine programming and plant-based meals at NYC Health + Hospitals, and now, we’re bringing this evidence-based model to all of New York City’s health care workforce. Thanks to a massive $44 million investment from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, foundational trainings will be available for free to 200,000 health care workers in New York City. Once again, we’re setting the standard for the rest of the nation, giving practitioners new tools to combat chronic disease and health disparities, and investing in a healthier city for generations to come.”
The initial group of participating hospitals and hospital systems includes:
- NYC Health + Hospitals
- BronxCare Health System
- The Brooklyn Hospital Center
- Calvary Hospital
- Episcopal Health Services
- Hospital for Special Surgery
- Maimonides Health
- MediSys Health
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Montefiore Health System
- Mount Sinai Health System
- NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System
- Northwell Health
- NYU Langone Health
- One Brooklyn Health System
- Richmond University Medical Center
- The Rockefeller University Hospital
- SBH Health System
- SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University – University Hospital at Downstate
- Wyckoff Heights Medical Center
“The city’s partnership with ACLM is major step toward providing widespread access to a holistic and traditional medical approach to all New Yorkers,” said City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park). “Many of the hospitals who will be participating in this initial program are safety net hospitals who have already been implementing outreach efforts to educate the consumer about the benefits of lifestyle and nutritional changes for diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension. Now, through this generous program, they will be able to grow their specialties and outreach efforts.”
