NYC Doctors To Receive Free Plant-Based Nutrition Training Under $44M Medicine Program

New York City has launched a $44 million lifestyle medicine training program in collaboration with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). Healthcare professionals in NYC will receive free training in plant-based nutrition as a preventative and prescriptive tool to improve patient health. The initiative aims to reduce the burden on the healthcare system by focusing on lifestyle interventions to treat chronic diseases, which cost the US billions of dollars annually.

The training program will initially be offered at 20 NYC hospitals and treatment centers, with up to 200,000 healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, eligible to participate. Lifestyle medicine prioritizes plant-based eating, exercise, adequate sleep, stress management, and avoidance of harmful substances. Mayor Eric Adams has also announced that all NYC hospitals are now serving vegan food as the default option, further promoting a plant-based approach to healthcare in the city.