Take control of your health lose weight and feel better with Baptist Health's Complete Health Improvement Program

Pounds lost, medications discontinued, better sleep, more energy, chronic disease risk reduced - all benefits of the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) offered through Baptist Health.

LOUISVILLE (APRIL 13, 2016) -- Pounds lost, medications discontinued, better sleep, more energy,  chronic disease risk reduced  –  all benefits of the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) offered through Baptist Health.

To learn more, attend a free orientation session from 7-8 p.m. Monday, May 2 in the Cancer Resource Center, first floor of the Charles and Mimi Osborn Cancer Center, 4003 Kresge Way. The center is located across the street from Baptist Health Louisville. Twenty scholarships are available to attend the program, which has a $599 retail value.

Samples of the types of food encouraged in the program will be provided by Martini Italian Bistro Martini Italian Bistro is among the local restaurants partnering with Baptist Health to put CHIP-friendly items on the menu.

“The program’s focus is on changing your lifestyle habits, adopting a plant-based diet and incorporating more movement and exercise in your life to improve your overall health,” said Lea Martin, program facilitator.

 “I feel 20 years younger,” wrote one woman who participated in a CHIP pilot of Baptist Health employees. “I have been able to reduce my meds. . .I feel great! And I’m down nine pounds.”

The four-month program includes educational videos on topics ranging from “Disarming Diabetes” to “Your DNA is Not Your Destiny.” Selected participants will meet weekly, beginning Thursday, May 19 at from 7-8 p.m., also at the cancer resource center. Class size will be limited. All participants may bring a supportive family member or friend with them to sessions.

To qualify, participants must:

• Have a BMI (body mass index) of 29 OR
• A BMI greater than 25 with one chronic health condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes, pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma
• Complete a program application
• Have access to a computer for virtual learning and a telephone for support calls/virtual class
• Complete a biometric screening before May 16

CHIP – an element of Baptist Health’s larger Healthier Together effort -- has already drawn local recognition for the program’s high success rate, earning Baptist Health the 2016 Growing Healthy Lives ONE Award. The award is presented by One Southern Indiana, a chamber of commerce and economic development organization serving the Louisville and Southern Indiana metro areas.

For more information about the program, contact certified CHIP facilitators Lea Martin, BSW, RN-BC at 502.899.2891 or Robin Potter, RN, at 502.422.1596. The application is available here and at the May 2 orientation.

About Baptist Health

Founded in 1924 in Louisville, Kentucky, Baptist Health is a full-spectrum health system dedicated to improving the health of the communities it serves.  The Baptist Health family consists of eight hospitals (seven owned and one managed); employed and independent physicians; more than 170 outpatient facilities, physician practices and services, including urgent care and retail-based clinics; outpatient diagnostic and surgery centers; home care; occupational medicine and physical therapy clinics; and fitness centers. Its Lexington-based subsidiary, Baptist Health Plan, provides health insurance, managed care services and administrative services to employers, employees and their dependents, serving members in Kentucky and surrounding states.

Baptist Health’s seven owned hospitals include more than 2,100 licensed beds in Corbin, La Grange, Lexington, Louisville, Madisonville, Paducah and Richmond. Baptist Health manages Hardin Memorial Hospital, a 300-bed hospital in Elizabethtown.

Baptist’s physician network includes more than 450 employed physicians and more than 1,600 independent physicians. It employs more than 16,000 people in Kentucky and surrounding states.