The NYCHA Health Corps Member Who Wants New Yorkers to Embrace Lifestyle Medicine
Janet Camacho was getting ready to graduate from Hunter College with a BA in Psychology, wondering how to land her first degree-related job, when she read about NYCHA Health Corps in the NYCHA REES resident e-newsletter.
Ms. Camacho had never heard of the NYCHA Health Corps, but she was immediately interested in learning how she might be able to put her psychology degree to work in a healthcare setting.
Begun in 2022, the Public Health AmeriCorps program, which is administered by NYC Service in partnership with NYCHA, was designed to foster leadership in NYCHA residents through public service, emphasizing public health and health equity. NYCHA residents serve full-time at community-based nonprofits and public agencies supporting health and community partners working to advance equitable health outcomes across public housing developments.
Ms. Camacho applied and was accepted the first cohort of NYCHA Health Corps and was interviewed and accepted at New York City Health + Hospitals’ Lifestyle Medicine Program as a Community Engagement Member. The program, which was launched in 2019, uses multidisciplinary teams to support individuals living with chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, in making lifestyle changes to improve their health. The program’s teams include dietitians, health coaches, physicians, nurse practitioners, psychologists, a fitness instructor, community health workers, and program coordinators – all of whom work with patients to address barriers and help them meet their health goals.
Ms. Camacho explained that Lifestyle Medicine’s six pillars – plant-based nutrition, exercise, stress management, substance avoidance, restorative sleep, and healthy relationships – are often overlooked but important parts of people’s lives and, together, can dramatically contribute to someone’s health.
Ms. Camacho wished she had learned about preventive medicine and the healthy lifestyle approach sooner.
“If I had known about this earlier, I could have helped my parents at the time,” Ms. Camacho noted. The fact that her father had diabetes, and she had prediabetes, led her to want to change her lifestyle and become healthier. “I was on my own journey of self-care,” she added. It was around this time that she discovered the Lifestyle Medicine Programs and realized that she could combine a passion for healthcare with helping her community.
Ms. Camacho is not the only New Yorker interested in lifestyle medicine. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is a big proponent of the Lifestyle Medicine Program, with a particular interest in plant-based diets, crediting it with his own journey towards optimal health, and he has championed the program since its inception.
“This is personal to me,” Mayor Adams said while announcing the decision to expand the number of NYC Health + Hospitals’ Lifestyle Medicine Program sites in 2022. “A plant-based lifestyle helped save my life, and I’m thrilled that New Yorkers in every zip code will have access to this critical programming. Together, we will stop feeding the health care crisis and ensure all New Yorkers can access the healthy lifestyle they deserve.”
As a Community Engagement Member, she liaised with and engaged community leaders throughout the five boroughs to encourage them to take advantage of the program’s services. Ms. Camacho did project management, assisted in procuring and developing relationships with vendors, helped with the hiring process, and helped the program to reach more people.
Presently, Ms. Camacho works with a team of new Members to expand the community outreach work. Together they steward partnerships with community-based organizations to bolster local awareness and increase program referrals.
Ms. Camacho enjoyed her first year at NYCHA Health Corps so much that she decided to apply again.
“It’s been a great experience. I learned so much and I’m very grateful.”
Now in her second NYCHA Health Corps cohort, she has returned to work at NYC Health + Hospitals’ Central Office Lifestyle Medicine team. As a Programs Relations Associate, which has more managerial role duties, she continues to assist with the launching of the new sites and developing and strengthening links with vendors.
Oshiozanime Lakoju, Ms. Camacho’s supervisor, praised Ms. Camacho’s ability to further the organization’s mission through fostering relationships with CBOs and vendors, and through her ability to pass that knowledge on to the larger team of 3 new Members.
“She did the research,” Ms. Lakoju said. “She propelled those connections, fortified the trust, and worked with me on laying the groundwork. Now, the new team members are really now able to steward those relationships because she did the initial foundational element. That was a beautiful blossoming.”
The Lifestyle Medicine Program successfully launched their seventh site located at Lincoln Hospital on March 21 with Mayor Adams in attendance.
Reflecting on her progress at the program, helping communities whilst also networking and developing her career, she said, “It’s been great; I’ve grown a lot.”
For Ms. Lakoju, Ms. Camacho has “grown leaps and bounds.”
“It has been remarkable to support her development and see her thrive in our mission,” she added.
Two years on and Ms. Camacho is still excited about helping New Yorkers and spreading “the word about how you can live a healthy lifestyle and stay off medication through exercise and taking simple steps.”
She wants people to know that nothing is inevitable about illnesses and their outcomes, especially when residents take advantage of the resources available out there.
She strongly encourages anyone thinking about applying to NYCHA Health Corps to just do it.
“Just give it a try,” she said, “because, at the end of the day, it’s a rewarding position. You feel accomplished.”
To learn more about the NYCHA Health Corps, register for an upcoming info session at the NYCHA Health Corps Information Session page.
Do you know someone living with diabetes or prediabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease who wants support to reach health goals? Learn more about NYC Health and Hospitals’s Lifestyle Medicine program by visiting Lifestyle Medicine Programs – NYC Health + Hospitals or call 347-507-3695.
Picture courtesy Janet Camacho: Janet Camacho, pictured far left, Oshiozanime Lakoju, pictured third from left next to New York City Mayor Eric Adams at the launch of the Lifestyles Medicine Program at Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx.