1. Maple City Health Care Center
Healthy Living Groups

2. Philosophy
Focus is on relationship building, empowerment and experiential learning (for example: We eat together weekly – food that connects to our topic)
We honor the questions, knowledge and experience held in the group, and function on the assumption that everyone has something important to contribute
We share weekly goals together and value mutual accountability
Operate on the premise that a healthy lifestyle is always a work in process, not something that can be easily or ever mastered

3. Identification of Patients
Providers make referrals at DM and other chronic disease management visits
Nurse educators and dietitians make referrals during individual appointments with patients
Behavior health providers make referrals from individual appointments and our addictions group
We get referrals from members of our parenting and prenatal groups
Self-referrals from advertising we do at clinic/brochures

4. Informing Patients about the Group
In person, multidisciplinary referrals, especially medical provider referrals, are our best way of reaching people
Short informational and relationship building home visits made by group organizers to those that make a verbal commitment to participate
Brochures

5. Who Makes the Group Work
We practice shared leadership of the group sessions using Circle – a shared leadership model that promotes a leader in every chair, including our patients
Members of clinic staff serve in host and guardian roles for the circle
Registered dietitian nutritionist
Medical assistant
Nurse educator/Diabetes care specialist
Medical provider
Behind the scenes organizers for the group are: dietitian, nurse educator, and medical assistant
A Spanish-English interpreter assures timely and accurate communication

7. Session Details One session a week for 90 minutes
Tuesday from 4:30-6 PM
Each group meets for eight weeks
We run three eight week series per year: Spring (April/May), late Summer (August/Sept), and Fall (Oct/Nov).

8. Group Agenda
Varies based on interest and need. Common topics we cover include:
goal setting
record keeping
setting ourselves up for success
healthy cooking
exercise
meal planning
food labels
mindfulness
stress
sleep
ongoing support
accountability

14. Quality Measures Patient satisfaction – based on self-report
Biometrics: weekly we measure blood pressure and weight. At the beginning and end we also check A1c for DM patients
Enhanced relationships – based on self-report
Confidence level for change as measured in goal setting process

15. Outcomes
Patients and clinic staff report feeling more connected in relationships of mutual trust and accountability
Patients report improved relationship with family and friends, as well as new relationships gained with other group members
Most dramatic biometric changes have been in A1c over the eight weeks
Weight changes are more rare to see since our group program does not promote a strict “diet plan”
It is not uncommon to see difficulty in maintaining positive biometric outcomes long-term outside of participation in group sessions

16. Fostering a Healthy Community