The Orange Community Services Department, Orange Health Department and Orange VNA are cosponsoring with Monitor My Health, a Centers for Disease Control-recognized Diabetes Prevention Center, to offer a course focusing on preventing type 2 diabetes and heart disease in adults to Orange residents starting on Tuesday, March 26 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the High Plains Community Center, located at 525 Orange Center Rd.
The program is an interactive one-hour long workshop led by certified lifestyle change coaches, who have been trained in the CDC curriculum and requirements. This lifestyle change course is free for adults who are pre-diabetic.
Research conducted by the National Institutes of Health showed people with pre-diabetes who take part in a structured lifestyle change program can cut their risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent. Seniors age 60 and older were able to prevent diabetes onset by 71 percent. No drugs are part of this program. The group size will be limited to no more than 20 people.
In order to qualify, all interested adults must be considered pre-diabetic at the time of enrollment. The weekly sessions will focus on healthy eating, increasing physical activity, and managing stress. They will be held weekly on Tuesdays for the first six months and then one or two times a month for the second six months.
In order to qualify, you can complete a simple questionnaire developed by the CDC, which can be completed over the phone with a staff member of Manage My Health at
203-717-2474 or 203-394-7311. You can also have pre-diabetes status documented by your physician or a laboratory test report of AlC results between 5.7 and 6.4. All participants must be pre-screened and registered prior to March 26.
Monitor My Health is a 501c(3) not-for-profit diabetes prevention center, officially recognized via contract with the CDC and approved by the State of Connecticut Department of Health.