HARLEM, N.Y., Aug. 12, 2020 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — When the pandemic hit, certified lifestyle coach\u00a0Marci Kenon\u00a0was knee deep in serving her Harlem community, specifically targeting the marginalized and underserved sectors. As the founder of\u00a0Preventive Lifestyle Assistance Network (PLAN), her agency, launched last year, focuses exclusively on providing the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP), a preventative agenda helmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<\/p>\n
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\nWith COVID-19 targeting Black and Brown people who have co-morbidities like type 2 diabetes, reaching at risk people became even more crucial for Kenon. PLAN recently signed an agreement with\u00a0Healthfirst, a leading Managed Care Organization (MCO), to deliver the NDPP on a broader scale. In addition, a series of online NDPP classes will be offered in both English and Spanish beginning Thursday, September 10, 2020. PLAN is a certified New York State Medicaid Provider.<\/p>\n
According to the CDC, over 88 million American adults have prediabetes, yet eight in ten don\u2019t know they have it. Without taking action, many could develop type 2 diabetes within five years. NDPP is an evidence-based, year-long program conducted by lifestyle coaches who help people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes reverse the course.<\/p>\n
PLAN offers a one-minute risk test on its website at\u00a0https:\/\/www.joinplanglobal.com\/<\/a>\u00a0for anyone to check their status. Those at risk can register for a NDPP class.<\/p>\n The statistics on how Black and Hispanic New Yorkers disproportionately contract the coronavirus, suffer with severe symptoms and die at higher rates than whites, highlight the importance of prevention programs like the one Kenon has made the center of her Harlem-based company. PLAN originally launched its first in-person\u00a0NDPP class at\u00a0Ephesus SDA Church on Malcolm X Boulevard in the heart of Harlem.<\/p>\n \u201cThe coronavirus struck and disrupted that class,\u201d Kenon recalls, talking about the uncertainty of life in New York as COVID-19 hit New York with intense cruelty. \u201cI really thought I would wake up and realize it was all a bad dream. Fortunately, we were able to transition from in-person to virtual because we were conducting an NDPP class online before the coronavirus descended.\u201d<\/p>\n Feeling a strong desire to help during the height of the pandemic, Kenon started volunteering at the NY Common Pantry, near her home in East Harlem. That is where she met\u00a0Michael Montanez, a diligent, dedicated worker who is going to conduct PLAN\u2019s first Spanish-language classes.<\/p>\n \u201cMarci\u2019s vision for our community\u2019s overall health is extremely expansive,\u201d expresses Montanez. \u201cI\u2019m excited to join PLAN with bi-lingual class offerings. The addition of Spanish classes is a critical step toward effecting awareness and change across our combined communities.\u201d<\/p>\n It was while pursuing a certification in personal fitness training that Kenon was told she was pre-diabetic during a routine medical exam. The doctor who sounded the alarm had lost her mother and grandmother, both double amputees, to complications related to type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n Kenon created PLAN and became an official provider for NDPP. With New York State Medicaid now covering the full cost of the program, PLAN is positioned to more positively assist with impacting clients on an even grander scale. PLAN is one of a handful\u00a0of companies that exclusively conducts\u00a0this 22-module course.<\/p>\n \u201cWe start with weekly core classes that focus on making small lifestyle changes,\u201d Kenon explains. \u201cWe then transition into maintenance-mode with one class a month. We have a speaker series and a private Facebook page to nurture support. Our goals are losing weight, lowering blood sugar levels and increasing overall wellness. We are a small team and specialize in providing our clients with extra attention and care.\u201d<\/p>\n Kenon previously worked in the music industry for many years as a columnist\/feature writer for Billboard magazine, interviewing celebrities that included\u00a0Diana Ross, Jay Z\u00a0and\u00a0Jada Pinkett-Smith. She exited the music industry with the production of a documentary produced in 2004 in partnership with Image Entertainment, entitled \u201cHigher Ground: Voices of Contemporary Gospel Music,\u201d featuring\u00a0Kirk Franklin\u00a0and\u00a0Yolanda Adams.<\/p>\n With new partners, a new team member and a new pandemic-inspired attitude for change, Marci Kenon has a PLAN for better health for the community she serves!<\/p>\n Get the with the PLAN at https:\/\/www.joinplanglobal.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow the PLAN on Facebook at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PreventiveLifestyleAssistanceNetwork\/<\/a>, on Instagram at https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/coachmarcinyc\/<\/a> and on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/PreventivePlan<\/a> .<\/p>\n