Health & Fitness
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset Continues Diabetes Prevention Program for African American Adults
Free 10-Week Program Begins This Month in Somerville and North Plainfield
African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes, 13% over the age of 20 are diagnosed. For this reason, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset’s Community Health Department is once again offering a free diabetes prevention program for African American adults. Individuals of African and Caribbean descent are invited to attend “The Power Over Diabetes: Empowering Our Brothers and Sisters.” The free 10-week program will begin September 12 in North Plainfield and September 14 in Somerville.
RWJUH’s mission is to have participants of the program join them on the path to a healthier lifestyle. Participants will receive a Type 2 diabetes assessment by a registered nurse with meal planning and nutritional education from a registered dietitian. Participants will also learn tips for preparing their favorite dishes in a healthy way and advice on physical health to help lower their risks of developing diabetes.
Sonia Johnson, a pre-diabetic South Plainfield resident, participated in last year’s Power Over Diabetes prevention program. What Johnson found most rewarding about the program was the supportive and encouraging environment.
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“I really enjoyed the positive affirmations we would read,” says Johnson. “Phrases that helped us realize, ‘You are not diabetes and you are not defined by your diabetes’. You can have diabetes and live a normal life just by making some healthy lifestyle changes.”
In addition to the words of reassurance, Johnson found the exercise and cooking demonstrations to be some of her favorite ways to help her focus on diabetes prevention – she still prepares the watermelon salad recipe taught at last year’s program. Sonia’s prediabetes has not progressed into Type 2 diabetes.
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Sessions will be held at North Plainfield Middle School located at 34 Wilson Avenue in North Plainfield on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. from September 12 through November 14, 2017. The Somerville sessions will be held at St. Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church at 75 Davenport Street from 6:30 to 8 p.m. from September 14 through November 16, 2017.
Participants must be 18 years or older. Registration is required.
To register for the program, call Nour Abrahim at 908-595-2606.
Located in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a nationally accredited, 361-bed regional hospital providing comprehensive emergency, medical/surgical, behavioral health and rehabilitative services to central New Jersey residents. As a designated teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the hospital maintains a family medicine residency program with 21 residents.
RWJUH Somerset has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence and an “A” Hospital Safety Score from the Leapfrog Group. As the first hospital in New Jersey to offer primary health care services for the LGBTQIA community, RWJUH Somerset has been honored as a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign.
The Steeplechase Cancer at RWJUH Somerset, a clinical research affiliate of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, has been designated as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer.
