Mayor Eric Adams unveils $44M investment to get New Yorkers healthier
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- There's a new, multi-million dollar push to get New Yorkers healthier, and Mayor Eric Adams is using himself as exhibit A.
The new campaign, announced by Adams on Monday, is being dubbed 'lifestyle medicine,' a kind of holistic approach to diet, exercise, medical care and human interaction.
"New York City will not continue to feed the health care crisis," Mayor Adams said.
He has long been a proponent of healthy eating. He not only shed more than 30 pounds, but he also reversed his type 2 diabetes with a plant-based diet and working out.
He has also pushed for plant-based options in the city schools and at hospitals.
Like at Bellevue, where plant-based patient meals are now the default at all city-run hospitals.
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And now there's a new tool -- free training in lifestyle medicine for 200,000 health and medical practitioners from public and private hospitals.
"Giving every New York City health professional the opportunity to receive lifestyle medicine training at New York City's favorite word 'free,' no cost," Adams said.
It's made possible through a $44 million investment by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
"This investment can strengthen the health of New Yorkers and hopefully inspire other cities and communities to follow suit," said Dr. Cate Collings of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Too frequently, it's poorer communities that have less access to healthy food options and higher rates of diabetes and chronic issues.
If more providers have more knowledge about lifestyle medicine, more people can benefit and even live longer.
"If you provide this approach to one person in a family, the entire family can live their best lives possible," said LaRay Brown, the CEO of One Brooklyn Health System.
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