NYC Health + Hospitals’ Lifestyle Medicine Program Held Over 10,000 Group Visits and Served More Than 1,300 Patients in the Past Year
The group visits include weekly classes on topics such as creating a nutritious plant-powered plate, reading nutrition labels, mindful eating, stress management, sleep health, and fitness fundamentals Since February 2024, the Lifestyle Medicine Program has distributed over 5,000 boxes of fresh produce to patients’ homes through a partnership with Farm to People
Sep 17, 2025
NYC Health + Hospitals today announced its Lifestyle Medicine Program has provided over 10,000 group visits and served more than 1,300 patients in the past year. Patients in the program participate in weekly group classes, where they learn skills for creating a nutritious plant-powered plate, reading nutrition labels, mindful eating, stress management, sleep health, and fitness fundamentals, and they have individual time to check in with a nurse practitioner. The group facilitators encourage participation, and patients report that they learn from and develop a rapport with their classmates over the course of the program. Lifestyle Medicine Program patients are also offered weekly exercise classes led by a fitness instructor. Most of the classes are held through video visits, so patients can attend without traveling to the hospital or clinic, and they are offered either during the day or in the evening to accommodate patients’ busy lives. The classes are offered in English and Spanish.
In addition, the Lifestyle Medicine Program has distributed over 5,000 boxes of free, fresh produce to its patients since the launch of the produce box program in February 2024. As part of the program, patients receive free produce boxes delivered to their home, with delicious and nutritious recipes adapted by the Lifestyle Medicine Program’s dietitians. A recent produce box included tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce, potatoes, watermelon radishes, cremini mushrooms, and a mango. The majority of the produce is sourced from local or regional farms, and the boxes are packaged and delivered by Farm to People. In a new video, patient Delois Locus described how the produce boxes help her eat healthy. Photos of a recent delivery of produce boxes are available here.
Out of the patients who enrolled in the Lifestyle Medicine Program in the past year, half are Hispanic/Latinx (50%), closely followed by patients who are Black (40%), and the remaining patients identify as other (5%), Asian/Native American/Pacific Islander (2%), white (2%), or not disclosed (1%). Most of these patients do not have health insurance (32%), followed by patients who have Medicaid (23%), commercial insurance (21%), Medicare (11%), and insurance not listed (15%).
“As I often say, it’s not only what’s in your DNA, it’s what’s in your dinner. That’s why our administration has been laser focused on ensuring New Yorkers have access to the education and resources they need to ensure they have a healthy diet, access to fresh foods, and can live a healthy lifestyle,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “I commend NYC Health + Hospitals for their Lifestyle Medicine Program, which has held over 10,000 group visits and served more than 1,300 patients in just the past year alone, while distributing over 5,000 boxes of fresh produce to patients. We will always ensure that New Yorkers are safe and healthy, and can afford what they need to thrive.”
“Today’s announcement is another marker of New York City leading the nation in the practice of Lifestyle Medicine,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Suzanne Miles-Gustave. “More and more New Yorkers are getting exposed to and moving through a program that has the power to not just manage their heart-disease or type 2 diabetes, but potentially bring those conditions into remission. Importantly, participants in the program aren’t going through it alone, they build relationships with fellow participants strengthening their social networks and success rates. Thank you to the dedicated and innovative team at our NYC Health + Hospitals sites doing this work that makes such a difference in people’s lives and in the discipline of Lifestyle Medicine.”
“The Lifestyle Medicine Program helps make dietary changes as easy as possible for patients to build a strong foundation for their health,” said Mayor’s Office of Food Policy Executive Director Kate MacKenzie. “Fresh, seasonal produce delivered to New Yorkers helps overcome barriers to healthy food access. Alongside dietitians’ guidance, delicious recipes, and cooking videos, these boxes support healthy cooking and eating across diverse cultural traditions. When we can help people change their diets, we can help them change their futures.”
“Our milestone of over 10,000 group visits positions us among the largest lifestyle medicine programs in the nation. We’re especially proud to be doing this work within the safety-net healthcare system of NYC Health + Hospitals, making our services accessible regardless of ability to pay,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Executive Director of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Michelle McMacken, MD, FACP, DipABLM. “Our interdisciplinary teams not only support patients in making evidence-based lifestyle changes, but also help address key barriers such as food insecurity to improve health for individuals living with chronic disease.”
“We’ve delivered thousands of boxes filled with fresh seasonal produce through this impactful program,” said Felix Dechant, Chief Operating Officer of Farm to People. “Each delivery is more than just a food box: it’s thoughtfully sourced by our procurement team, packed with care in our warehouse, and delivered the same day by our fleet of drivers. We’re thrilled to see the positive impact on patients’ lives. We look forward to continuing to serve more New Yorkers while building a shorter, stronger, and more resilient food supply chain.”
“My produce box is like someone plucked it from the garden,” said Lifestyle Medicine Program patient Delois Locus. “I have type 2 diabetes. Being able to apply the everything that I’ve learned through the Lifestyle Medicine Program has changed my numbers and changed my perspective.”
The Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals is a several-month program to support patients in making evidence-based lifestyle changes, including a healthful plant-based diet, increased physical activity, improved sleep habits, stress management, 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. The program is available at seven sites and can serve thousands of patients each year. The care team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, a certified nurse midwife (Woodhull location), registered dietitians, health coaches, program coordinators, community health workers, and a fitness instructor, and some of the sites also offer a psychologist. 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 several-month lifestyle medicine program provides every patient with the following resources:
- Six to nine one-on-one counseling sessions: Patients 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.
- Weekly group classes: Topics include creating a nutritious plant-powered plate, reading nutrition labels, mindful eating, stress management, sleep health, and fitness fundamentals. Patients also have individual time to check in with a nurse practitioner.
- Weekly exercise classes: Patients can join exercise classes led by a fitness instructor and receive resistance bands to use for strength training in the classes.
- Free deliveries of seasonal fresh produce: Patients work with dietitians to learn about incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diet across culinary traditions and skill levels. Delicious and nutritious recipes adapted by the team’s dietitians will accompany each produce box.
- Health Bucks. Patients have access to Health Bucks, which are $2 coupons that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at NYC farmers markets. Four of the seven program sites have farmers’ markets on their campus.
- Culinary skills videos. Patients will 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 help patients access free or low-cost nutrition resources and, for those eligible, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. They also help address other needs such as transportation and housing concerns.
The Lifestyle Medicine Program is available at the following sites:
Bronx
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Queens
Staten Island
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.
Formal evaluations of the Bellevue Hospital pilot program revealed a successful implementation process, extremely high demand for services (more than 850 patients requested to enroll in the first few months), and positive health outcomes including clinically and statistically significant improvements in weight, glycemic control, and diastolic blood pressure.
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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About Farm to People
Farm to People is an online farmer’s market delivering in NYC. They make it easy for busy New Yorkers to eat well at home by curating farm shares and a marketplace with the best seasonal, local produce, sustainable meat and fish, and delicious grocery staples. Farm to People delivers to more than 5,000 customers in all five boroughs of NYC and parts of New Jersey. 70% of their goods are sourced within a 300-mile radius of NYC. Every single product on the site offers full transparency: they feature detailed descriptions of the farmers behind the food, outlining their location, growing practices, and other information to make informed choices with every purchase. For more information, visit www.farmtopeople.com.
