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KentuckyOne Health Expands Non-Invasive Program for Reversing Heart Disease to Lexington - Archived

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KentuckyOne Health Expands Non-Invasive Program for Reversing Heart Disease to Lexington
Nationally Renowned Ornish Reversal Program Addresses Underlying Causes of Disease Through Lifestyle Change

Lexington, Ky. (October 14, 2015)—KentuckyOne Health is now offering Dr. Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease™ (the Ornish Reversal Program), in Lexington. The Ornish Reversal Program is the first program scientifically proven to not only prevent heart disease and other chronic conditions, but also to undo it.

KentuckyOne Health is the first and only health provider in the state providing the Ornish Reversal Program, which is grounded in more than three decades of peer-reviewed studies by Dr. Ornish and others.

The program uses lifestyle changes to make its impact, altering the way participants eat, move, manage stress, and find emotional support to improve overall well-being. It is delivered in 18 four-hour group sessions over a nine-week period in cohorts of up to 15 people, with a focus on improvement in four key areas:
• Fitness emphasizes regular, moderate and sustainable exercise.
• Stress management helps participants cope with and manage stress while also fostering an increased level of physical and emotional self-awareness.
• Group support connects individuals with others who are participating in the program and facilitates long-lasting relationships.
• Nutrition develops and cultivates a low-fat, whole foods, plant-based eating plan.
KentuckyOne Health launched the Ornish Reversal Program in Louisville in July. Patients in the first class showed astounding results. Weight loss averaged 7.5 pounds, three patients lowered their blood pressure medication, one patient who had diabetes came off his insulin and another is discussing coming off cholesterol medication after 25 years. The majority of participants also improved their depression scale scores and reported an overall increased sense of wellbeing.

“The way I feel now is almost indescribable because I am such a changed person from what I was before,” said Stephen Marrillia, Ornish Reversal Program graduate. “I’ve lost 40 lbs., my stamina is so much better and I actually ran in a 5k. It’s like starting anew with life again and this one I don’t want to mess up.”

In Kentucky, the Ornish Reversal Program is currently reimbursed for qualified and eligible members of Medicare, Anthem and Aetna.  Individuals with qualifying heart conditions (acute myocardial infarction within the preceding 12 months, coronary artery bypass surgery, stable angina, heart valve repair or replacement, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or coronary stenting, and heart or heart-lung transplant) may qualify for this transformative program. In addition, there is a discounted rate for individuals who choose to pay out-of-pocket.

“This program is truly a game changer that empowers our patients through a proven, sustainable approach to reverse atherosclerotic heart disease,” said cardiologist Steve Lin, MD, medical director of the Ornish program in Lexington.

Informational Seminars Planned
KentuckyOne Health will offer a series of free, physician-led seminars to help interested individuals explore the program through interactive discussion. Healthy appetizers following the Ornish Reversal Program nutrition guidelines will be served. Seminars will be held on the following dates and times:
• Tuesday, October 20, 2015, 10-11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, October 22, 2015, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 11, 2015, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Monday, November 16, 2015, 5-6:30 p.m.
The seminars will be held in the Blakely Auditorium at Saint Joseph Hospital (1 Saint Joseph Drive, Lexington). To make a reservation, call 859.313.4793 or visit to kentuckyonehealth.org/ornish.

KentuckyOne Health is offering the Ornish Reversal Program through global well-being improvement leader Healthways, Inc. Healthways partnered with Dr. Ornish in 2013 to bring his innovative, evidence-based approach to health systems across the U.S. in response to growing demand from consumers and providers for approaches that address the underlying causes of disease through lifestyle changes.

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health, the largest and most comprehensive health system in the Commonwealth, has more than 200 locations including, hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies in Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is dedicated to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved.  The system is made up of the former Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System, along with the University of Louisville Hospital and James Graham Brown Cancer Center. KentuckyOne Health is proud of and strengthened by its Catholic, Jewish and academic heritages.

About Dean Ornish, M.D.
Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Ornish received his M.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine, was a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned a B.A. in humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin, where he gave the baccalaureate address.

Dr. Ornish was appointed by President Barack Obama to the White House Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health in 2010 and, previously, by President Clinton to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy in 2000. He chaired the Google Health Advisory Council 2007-2009.He has received numerous national and professional awards including being honored by LIFE magazine as “one of the fifty most influential members of his generation,” being recognized as “one of the most interesting people of 1996” by People; and having been described in Forbes magazine as “one of the seven most powerful teachers in the world.”

The Ornish diet, a critical component of the Ornish Program, was rated #1 for heart health by U.S. News & World Report in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

About Healthways
Healthways (NASDAQ: HWAY) is the largest independent global provider of well-being improvement solutions. Dedicated to creating a healthier world one person at a time, the Company uses the science of behavior change to produce and measure positive change in well-being for our customers, which include employers, integrated health systems, hospitals, physicians, health plans, communities and government entities. We provide highly specific and personalized support for each individual and their team of experts to optimize each participant’s health and productivity and to reduce health-related costs. Results are achieved by addressing longitudinal health risks and care needs of everyone in a given population. The Company has scaled its proprietary technology infrastructure and delivery capabilities developed over 30 years and now serves approximately 68 million people on four continents. Learn more at www.healthways.com.

Publish date: 

Wednesday, October 14, 2015