January 29, 2026, Philadelphia, PA – The low-income, predominantly Latino and African American communities of North Philadelphia face a significant chronic disease burden from Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. In response, Esperanza Health Center (EHC) is partnering with Ardmore Institute of Health to make an impact by promoting the adoption of healthy lifestyles and diet. Ardmore Institute of Health has awarded a grant of $103,000 to Esperanza Health Center to support expansion of the health center’s current Lifestyle Medicine program for its patients and members of its community.
“We’re grateful to receive support from Ardmore Institute of Health, an integration that will enable more community members to have access to healthy lifestyle education. In cooperation with the mission of Ardmore Institute, we can advance our mission to make holistic care possible for those we serve. We’re excited about how our organizations can partner together to promote healthy lifestyle changes,” says Susan Post, Chief Executive Officer of Esperanza Health Center.
“Ardmore Institute of Health is thrilled to support Esperanza Health Center’s work to make whole health possible for underserved communities in Northern Philadelphia,” says Dr. Ron Stout, President and CEO of Ardmore Institute of Health. “This project will integrate Full Plate Living Shared Medical Appointments and the AIH-funded Lifestyle Empowerment Approach for Diabetes Remission (LEADR) curriculum to create a replicable model for lifestyle medicine infused primary care.”
In EHC’s Lifestyle Medicine program, participants meet for 10 weeks in groups that are designed for multidisciplinary, multidirectional engagement around whole person health through Lifestyle Medicine’s six pillars: 1) Whole-food, plant-predominant nutrition; 2) Physical activity; 3) Restorative sleep; 4) Stress management; 5) Social connection; and 6) Avoidance of risky substances. The Lifestyle Medicine program emphasizes these pillars through: nutrition education, utilizing Ardmore Institute of Health’s Full Plate Living curriculum; interactive, hands-on preparation of patient-inspired, culturally-relevant dishes using plant-predominant ingredients; behavioral health education; and guided group physical movement. Group participants have enjoyed the surprise of increased energy, measurable weight loss, decreased blood pressures, and other improvements in health markers through learning together in community and by adopting changes in their diet and lifestyle that have transformed their well-being.
Through this new grant award, in addition to providing support for continued cohorts based on the Full Plate Living curriculum, EHC will add new cohorts with two new focus areas: one on nutrition, sleep, stress, and spirituality, and another to support patients with pre-diabetes or diabetes utilizing the LEADR curriculum. LEADR is an evidence-based curriculum developed in partnership with the Ardmore Institute of Health to equip patients with diabetes or pre-diabetes, who share these diagnoses with nearly half of all American adults, to find hope and healing. In educating and guiding their patients and community members through whole health initiatives like this, EHC will continue to provide compassionate and holistic care that goes beyond the exam room. To learn more about EHC’s Lifestyle Medicine Program, visit: https://esperanzahealth.com/service/lifestyle-medicine-classes/.
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About Esperanza Health Center
Founded in 1989, Esperanza Health Center is a faith-based, federally-qualified health center that serves over 15,000 patients annually, with three health center sites and a community wellness center, The CORE, located in north Philadelphia, PA. Integrated, bilingual services include primary adult and pediatric medical and dental care, women’s and prenatal care, behavioral health care, pharmacy services, medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, and a range of health and wellness initiatives open to all members of our communities. For more information, visit www.esperanzahealth.com or call (215) 302-3600.
For more information, contact: Ted Voboril, Director of Development | ted.voboril@esperanzahealth.com | (215) 302-3600, ext. 327
About Ardmore Institute of Health
Ardmore Institute of Health, established in 1947, works for a future where healthy environments and lifestyles provide equitable and preferred methods to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. To achieve this vision, AIH offers grant funding, Full Plate Living nutrition programming, and resources to accelerate Whole Health adoption and learning. For more information, visit www.ardmoreinstituteofhealth.org.