Medical Weight Management Program Community Outreach
The Department of Medicine’s Medical Weight Management program has recently launched several community outreach projects to complement the support provided by the clinic’s medical treatment of obesity.
The Medical Weight Management clinic received a grant from the department to support the launch of a produce prescription program. The funding allowed the clinic to provide fresh vegetables to patients with diet-related health risks. The Grand Total for produce given to WVU Medicine patients in the three involved clinics was 2,750 pounds! 14 educational videos were produced to teach how to cook the vegetables. These were shared on social media where they have each had hundreds of views.
Medical Weight Management has also added a virtual lecture series called Lunch and Learn every second and fourth Friday of the month through December from 12-12:30. Anyone is welcome to join these conversations presented by Medical Weight Management staff, including doctors, advanced practice providers, and dietitians. The goal is to help participants gain a deeper understanding on a journey to establishing lifelong healthy habits. To attend a lecture, click the “join the meeting” link in the “Lunch and Learn Group Visits” section on the Medical weight management webpage: https://wvumedicine.org/ruby-memorial-hospital/services/wvu-specialty-clinics/medical-weight-management/?sub=group-visits. The discussions are recorded and posted on the Medical Weight Management Facebook page.
Several members of the Medical Weight Management team have hosted Walk with a Future Doc sessions. This is an international non-profit organization that inspires communities through movement and conversation. The doctor and medical student co-led WVU School of Medicine chapter is a fun and safe space to learn about health and stay active. They meet on the first and third Saturday of each month. The hour-long event typically consists of listening to a brief talk by our guest speaker, dispersing to walk along the trail in smaller groups with the speaker and/or other attendees, and re-gathering for final discussion with water. To keep up with WVU Walk with a Future Doc events, follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wvuwalkwithafuturedoc.
The program maintains a Facebook support group which has grown in membership to over 700 members.
To learn more, visit our pages: https://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/medicine/sections-of-medicine/general-internal-medicine/medical-weight-management-program/ or https://wvumedicine.org/ruby-memorial-hospital/services/wvu-specialty-clinics/medical-weight-management/
