Key Note: Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy You

In this month’s episode, Dr. Hugo Ortega joins us as we take a look at lifestyle medicine – a fresh approach to healthcare that more and more physicians are embracing. Dr. Ortega, an associate program director for the Montefiore Einstein Internal Medicine Residency Program in the Bronx, shares his personal story of how he became interested in lifestyle medicine and how it informs the way he treats his patients and teaches his residents. He outlines the six basic pillars of lifestyle medicine and explains how paying attention to each can help get to the root causes of poor health and help us live our best lives. 

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The Takeaway 

• Get started on your health journey by making an appointment with your primary care physician. Don’t have one? Find one at our Provider Directory: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/find-a-provider.   
  
  
• Learn more about lifestyle medicine by visiting the American College of Lifestyle Medicine website: www.LifestyleMedicine.org. 

• Get the basics on whole-food, plant-based nutrition at www.PlantPoweredMetroNY.org. 

• Visit the Healthy Living Resource Center for wellness tips, information and resources; www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving. 

• Get to know your numbers at www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyhearts 

• Join WeightWatchers at a discounted rate of just $8 a month; $0 if you are living with diabetes or prediabetes: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/ww. 

• If you are living with type 2 diabetes, find out more about our partner Virta’s diabetes reversal program: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/news/virta.  

• Get inspired by fellow members through our Members’ Voices series: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/healthyliving/membervoices.  

• Stop by our Benefits Channel to join webinars on managing stress, building healthy meals and more: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/videos. 

• Visit our  YouTube channel to view a wide collection of healthy living videos: www.youtube.com/@1199SEIUBenefitFunds/playlists 

• Sample our wellness classes to exercise body and mind: www.1199SEIUBenefits.org/wellnessevents. 

Guest Bio 

Dr. Hugo Ortega is an associate program director for the Montefiore Einstein Internal Medicine Residency Program in the Bronx and served on the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Board of Directors as Young Director. The college also awarded him the Health Equity Achieved Through Lifestyle Medicine (HEAL) Initiative Scholarship, which aims to support a diverse healthcare workforce. With a passion for medical education and a master’s degree in health professions education, Dr. Ortega completed his residency in primary care and social internal medicine and has developed an expertise in lifestyle medicine. Believing education to be the cornerstone of changing the current landscape of healthcare, Dr. Ortega says teaching students and residents to be aware of the complex social systems that determine health allow for better adaptation to the system while also fighting to change it. Experienced in development, implementation and evaluation of undergraduate/graduate medical education curriculum, Dr. Ortega has also developed administrative and leadership skills during the creation and directing of the lifestyle medicine programs at Northwell Health. Dr. Ortega believes strongly in giving back to the community via education and mentorship, empowering people to take charge of their health and influence others.