Saint Francis Health System: Transforming Patient Care Through Lifestyle Medicine
Saint Francis Health System is taking a transformative approach to patient care through the implementation of a Lifestyle Medicine program, the first of its kind in Oklahoma. With grant support from Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH), Saint Francis is supporting individuals in their community to prevent, treat, and reverse chronic diseases through evidence-based lifestyle interventions.
Dr. Ajay Joseph, a Saint Francis cardiologist, piloted the Lifestyle Medicine program with Saint Francis employees in 2022 and 2023 and rolled out the program to patients in 2024. Inspired by the power of Lifestyle Medicine in his own life, Dr. Joseph says, “Simply treating conditions like heart disease with stents and pills is like mopping the floor when the faucet is still open.”
The Saint Francis Lifestyle Medicine program focuses on the 6 pillars of Lifestyle Medicine to help patients implement sustainable lifestyle changes. Patients enrolled participate in five shared medical appointments across two months and each one includes:
Teaching kitchen education: Led by a qualified chef, patients learn a variety of cooking skills and how to prepare high-fiber plant-based meals. During this session, a registered dietitian offers one-on-one support.
An educational session: Led by a physician, patients receive education and ask questions related to cardiovascular disease, strokes, dementia, cancers, diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver, and more.
A mindfulness session: Led by a licensed therapist, patients participate in a mindfulness practice and learn about stress management techniques. During this session, the physician conducts one-on-one encounters with patients.
As part of the program, patients receive relevant resources, eight-week access to the hospital gym, a one-on-one session with an exercise physiologist, email support, and access to refresher sessions. They are also referred to Full Plate Living, a free service of AIH, to support their long term journey and success.
Kjerista Tipton, a nurse who participated in the pilot program, shared that it changed her life. “I’ve lost a significant amount of weight, I no longer take blood pressure medicine or sleep with a CPAP machine… I don't sit on the sidelines and watch my grandkids, I get up and run with them now,” she says.
Saint Francis is conducting research to demonstrate the cost savings associated with a Lifestyle Medicine approach, and they intend to make the program easily replicable by sharing experiences, learnings, and data resources with other organizations. As the research is still ongoing for this grant project, we anticipate being able to share the conclusions when they are published. Sign up for AIH’s Whole Health Digest to receive updates related to this project and others.
Click the links below to learn more about the Saint Francis Lifestyle Medicine program:
Related Grant: Saint Francis Lifestyle Medicine Program
