HUDSON — In a time when healthcare costs are rising along with rates of Type 2 Diabetes, a local group of dietitians is offering a free, year-long program designed to improve health through diet and exercise.



But participation has its cost: It takes a lifestyle change to succeed.



Beginning this month, GemCare Wellness is offering what may be its last free diabetes prevention program before it earns certification by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Meredith D’Angelo, a registered and licensed dietitian who oversees the program.



It consists of two phases involving two dozen classes on Tuesdays at the Barlow Community Center in downtown Hudson. The course introduction was scheduled for June 4, and participants can still sign up, said GemCare spokesperson Nicole Montgomery.



D’Angelo said the company has been offering the free program since 2018 and must give the class for three years to be eligible for certification as a CDC-recognized Lifestyle Change Program. Once certified, GemCare could offer the classes as a fee-paid service to clients.



Those who would benefit from the program have either been diagnosed with pre-diabetes or have risk factors for pre-diabetes, such as being overweight or obese, having a sedentary lifestyle or other factors including age, race, or a family history of the disease.



A screening quiz is available via the GemCare Wellness website at www.gemcarewellness.com/programs/diabetes-prevention. Registration is also via the website, which also includes a link to the program syllabus.



D’Angelo said the quiz is designed to identify those who are at risk for pre-diabetes, but added the program is for "anyone who is looking to better their lifestyle and become healthier."



"The class is for people with pre-diabetes or anyone who has a risk. We work on healthy weight loss, healthy lifestyle change and increasing their physical activity overall," she said.



Type 2 Diabetes is a disease characterized by high blood sugar levels that can affect vision, hearing, blood circulation and can lead to increased chances of stroke, heart attack, amputation, among other ailments. Studies have shown that those susceptible to the disease can improve their health through lifestyle changes.



In the first half of the program, the goal is to lose at least 5 to 7 percent of one’s starting weight and get at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week.



During those months, participants attend a series of 16 classes on subjects such as eating well, tracking food consumption, coping with triggers to overeating, as well as getting active, tracking physical activity and staying motivated.



Participants attend six classes over the second six months, where the goal is to keep off the weight or lose more weight and keep getting at least 150 minutes of activity each week.



D’Angelo said the program’s biggest success story was a woman who lost more than 50 pounds, going from 182 pounds to under 130 pounds. The woman also reduced her blood sugar levels to within normal levels. A man in the program went from more than 260 to 234 pounds. She said most participants do not see such dramatic results, but virtually all participants lost weight and 30 percent were no longer considered to have clinical pre-diabetes at the end of the program.



D’Angelo noted the class is taught by registered, licensed dietitians, which she said is a more stringent standard than required by the CDC.



"We should be certified here within the next year," she said. "I think this June class is really going to help us in getting approved by the CDC."



She said certification will enable the company to take insurance-based referrals, but it will also "show people that we’re serious about the class, that the CDC recognizes us as an accredited program that’s seen success with the class and does it the correct way."



Eric Marotta can be reached at 330-541-9433, or emarotta@recordpub.com.