Burgess Health Center is now offering a lifestyle change program to help prevent diabetes. Participants work in a group with a trained lifestyle coach to learn the skills needed to lose weight, become more physically active, and manage stress.

If you have prediabetes, you can cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in half by losing 5 to 7 percent of your body weight. That is about 10 to 14 pounds for a person weighing 200 pounds.

PreventT2 is part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s proven to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. The local PreventT2 program is offered at Burgess in Onawa. PreventT2 groups meet for a year — weekly for the first 6 months, then once or twice a month for the second 6 months.

The cost for the entire year-long program is $400, with a $100 discount for those who register soon. Included in the cost of the program is a two-month membership to the Burgess Wellness Center in Mapleton or Onawa. Burgess also offers financial assistance and payment options for those who qualify.

“Participants in the PreventT2 program are preventing type 2 diabetes by making lasting lifestyle changes,” said Sue McLaughlin, Burgess diabetes educator.

Having prediabetes means it’s time for prevention.

To find out more about the PreventT2 program at Burgess, call 712-423-9268.

To learn more, visit the CDC PreventT2 page.