NORWAY — Healthy Oxford Hills’ healthy nutrition program, Food is Medicine, still has a few available slots for its next session that kicks off May 21.

Food is Medicine is a year-long workshop focused on helping people at risk for or with pre-diabetes Type 2 symptoms develop a healthy nutrition routine.

“Our priority is to reach people in rural areas of Oxford County who have limited access to healthy foods,” Allison Kelly, the Food is Medicine Program coordinator explains. “We teach National Diabetes Prevention Program’s (NDPP) cooking classes, our curriculum and the Cooking Matters curriculum.

“We teach cooking skills and participants get weekly bags of healthy foods from the food pantry at Stephens hospital.

“Every week people receive recipes and we provide the food that goes with the recipes, to help them build healthy lifestyle changes and work on their cooking skills each week.”

Kelly coordinates program logistics on locations and dates and enrollment assistance and coaches the NDPP classes.

Any resident of Oxford County at risk for diabetes Type 2 is eligible to enroll. People can self-assess by taking the Center for Disease (CDC) risk test, which takes into consideration factors like their body mass index (BMI), family medical or gestational diabetes history, lack of physical activity.

People can also submit a pre-diabetes finding by their doctor or reach out directly to Kelly for assistance.

The CDC risk test can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/prediabetes/risktest/. It is the assessment Kelly uses for people interested in the program.

Eileen Gibson, who lives and works in Oxford Hills, was referred to Food is Medicine by her doctor to improve her average blood sugar (A1C) and lose weight.

The program runs for one year, which Kelly acknowledges can be difficult for people to maintain. At the same time the duration is part of the strategy to help them make healthy adjustments for their long-term health. And as several cohorts take place at the same time on different intervals, attendance can be flexible.

“We have had people attend for a few weeks or for nine months. Things will come up that can get in the way,” she said. “But we’ve also had people re-enroll continue until they graduate. They’re welcome to do that.

“It’s not meant to be a quick fix. It’s for making small, healthy lifestyle changes that will build up over time.”

Gibson saw the program through to graduation, lowering her A1C and losing 30 pounds.

“The biggest lessons for me were learning portion control, and accountability” for eating habits, she said. “I definitely recommend it, and I have told many people about my experience and the program.”

Access to MaineHealth Stephens Hospital’s food pantry to supplement Food is Medicine’s weekly recipes is an ongoing benefit.

“We take into account people who use food pantries and may have a hard time fully funding the food element of the program,” Kelly said. “We try to plan it so people have enough meals for each week.

Aside from nutrition and healthy eating, Food is Medicine works with participants to reinforce grocery budgeting, physical activity and exercise without having to join a gym, stress management, getting enough sleep and seeking support from the community and family.

The newest cohort of Food is Medicine starts May 21, with weekly classes taking place at the Medd Health Center on Pikes Hill in Norway. Once cooking classes physically start, those sessions may be scheduled at other Stephens Hospital sites or at partner locations, such as The Progress Center, that have kitchen facilities.

For more information about the program people can contact Kelly at 207-393-3105, or by email at [email protected].

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