Diabetes Prevention Program Offered in West Bloomfield Starting Sept. 16

WHAT: The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan will offer the My Choice…My Health: Diabetes Prevention Program™ as part of its overall diabetes prevention efforts to reduce the incidence of diabetes and therefore reduce the number of people dealing with kidney disease. My Choice…My Health is provided at no cost to qualified participants in certain communities, and scholarships are available for all others. This 16-week course is designed for those at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, with the goal that participants will adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The workshop includes: 16 weekly one-hour sessions and eight monthly sessions that follow for additional support. The group sessions are led by a trained lifestyle coach that guides participants into a new lifestyle of healthy eating, increased exercise and behavior changes that will help them reach their goals.

WHY: 2.6 Million Michigan adults have prediabetes, and aren’t aware of it.

· One in 3 people have prediabetes and don’t know it.

· Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, causing more than 40% of all kidney failure cases.

· Those with prediabetes can prevent developing type 2 diabetes by 60%, just by losing as little as 5% of their overall weight.

· Women who develop gestational diabetes have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as 35-60% of those women develop diabetes later in life.

WHO: My Choice…My Health is a program of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan. My Choice…My Health is provided at no cost to qualified participants in certain communities, and scholarships are available for all others. Prediabetes is a condition where an individual has higher than normal blood glucose levels increasing their risk for developing type 2 diabetes, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes.

WHEN: Information session: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015; First session begins: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015. Sessions will be held 6:00-7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, 6777 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield Township, MI 48322.

HOW: For those who are interested in participating in My Choice…My Health, a doctor can tell you if you are at risk for diabetes, or you can determine your risk via a risk test at www.nkfm.org/dpp. To register for this workshop or to find one in your area, you can visit www.nkfm.org/dpp or contact the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan at 800-482-1455.

About the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan:

The mission of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan is to prevent kidney disease and improve the quality of life for those living with it. The NKFM was the first organization in Michigan to received full-recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program (DPRP) for it’s My Choice. . . My Health program. The NKFM was recently ranked #1 in the category of Diseases, Disorders, and Disciplines by Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. The organization has also been recognized for its success in sound fiscal management by receiving a 4-star rating, seven years in a row from Charity Navigator. In 2014, the NKFM was named as one of “11 Top-Rated Charities that Changed the World in 2014” by the Huffington Post