Gerber Park Residents 2023 Graduating Class of the National Diabetes Prevention Program
A cohort of ten Givens Gerber Park residents celebrated their successful completion of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention National Diabetes Prevention Program on September 29th. This year-long research-based program has proven that modest lifestyle change behaviors can prevent or delay developing Type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes or those at high risk for developing diabetes.
In 2019, Givens LifeMinistries was awarded full recognition by the CDC as a National Diabetes Prevention Program provider. Goals of the program center around participants losing 5%-7% of their baseline weight and slowly working up to engaging in 150 minutes of physical activity a week equivalent to brisk walking. Many of our Gerber Park participants successfully reached their goals the first six-months of the program. Through hands-on activities, group discussions, and study of the CDC evidence- based program curriculum, participants gain understanding about diabetes as a chronic disease and how to prevent Type 2 by putting into practice proven lifestyle principles centered around eating well, staying active, stress management, meal planning and more.
Cheryl Wallen, BSN, Director of Givens LifeMinistries, Diabetes Lifestyle Coach, and program facilitator exclaims, “This has been a fun group but extremely dedicated to completing the program, supporting each other through challenges and victories, and especially dedicated to making the slow and steady proven lifestyle changes part of their daily lives that will prevent them from developing Type 2 diabetes. I am so very proud of each one of them and so happy to see them celebrate the personal wellness goals they have worked so hard to achieve. Over the course of one year this group has collectively lost 137 pounds and averaged 185 minutes of physical activity a week.”
LifeMinistries hosted a graduation celebration luncheon, awarded each resident participant a certificate of completion and a Diabetes Awareness tee shirt. Another program will begin in January 2024 and will be open to all Givens residents as well as our neighbors in the greater community.
