You have the power to avoid diabetes.

First Mile Care is a diabetes prevention program that helps you live a better, healthier life.
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What to Expect

A certified coach will lead you through a 12-month community-based diabetes prevention program. In the program, you will be given tools to make healthy lifestyle adjustments and develop the skills to create lasting change. Your group will be people who live right in your neighborhood. The advice is practical. Suggestions are easy to fit into your daily routine. Everything leverages where you already shop, play, and live.

First Mile Care Benefits

Group Support

22 group sessions conveniently located near your home

Personal Activity Plan

Learn how to increase physical activity, eat healthy, and manage stress

Long-Term Change

Lose at least 5% of your body weight

Class Schedules

First Mile Care offers DPP programs in cities throughout the United States. Download the current class schedule.
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Placeholder class schedules

Placeholder class schedules

Placeholder class schedules

Placeholder class schedules

Frequently Asked Questions

What is prediabetes? What is the Diabetes Prevention Program? Is this a diet? Answers to all these questions, and many more, are answered below in the First Mile Care FAQ.

Understanding Prediabetes

96 million US adults — 1 in 3 — have prediabetes, and 90% of them don’t know they have it. Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose (sugar) levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Having prediabetes can put you at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health problems.

The exact cause of prediabetes is unknown, although there are known risk factors such as having a BMI that is categorized as overweight or obese, a family history of type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, or certain medical conditions.

Being overweight, being age 40 or older, and being physically active less than 3 times a week are risk factors for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is diagnosed through a blood test. Fasting glucose blood sugar levels of 100-125 mg/dL and A1c of 5.7% – 6.4% are considered prediabetes.

Prediabetes usually does not have any signs or symptoms, which is why most people with prediabetes don’t know they have it. Having prediabetes increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as other medical conditions like high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack.

What is DPP?

Developed by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DPP is an evidence- based lifestyle change program developed to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It is clinically proven to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% (71% if the participant is over 60-years-old). This one-year program is offered to qualified participants.

The program runs for 12 months (22 total sessions).

  • During the first six months, your group will meet every week for the first 8 weeks. Then you will meet every other week for the rest of the six months – 16 sessions total.
  • During the second six months, you will meet in a group setting about once a month – 6 sessions total.

Actively participating for a full year will help you develop lasting new habits and avoid slipping back into the old habits that may lead to type 2 diabetes. Your coach and other participants in your community provide the support and the guidance you need to succeed!

Joining a group or class to enter a new phase clears a lot of obstacles – and has other benefits. Not only do you meet interesting new people with similar goals, but the group environment also serves as a base of support when the going gets tough. Your coach will help you set and meet a set of personal health goals, help you stay motivated throughout the program, and ensure the program is fun and engaging. You will also be supported by others in your group – they live in your community and face similar challenges when it comes to lifestyle change. Sometimes they find solutions that you can use immediately, other times your success solves their issue. We are in it together.

While modest weight loss, about 5%, and activity are the goals of the program, DPP was designed by the CDC to help people make more informed choices and lasting changes in their lives. No need to join a gym; doing chores, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking in the open spot away from the store and walking all help. Consistently finding ways to be active in your daily life is the key.

No. This is not a diet. The goal is to create realistic eating habits, not short-term meal plans. Small changes like awareness of portion sizes make a big difference. You don’t have to give up the food you love. That won’t work for the long run. Coaches are sensitive to participant’s needs and restrictions and will work to find changes that are working for you.

Your specially trained DPP coach will provide handouts and other resources to help you learn new skills that include cooking healthier and being more physically active. But, the First Mile Care program is so much more than that.

Your coach will help you set and meet a set of personal health goals, help you stay motivated throughout the program, and ensure the program is both fun and engaging. You will also be supported by others in your group – people with similar goals and challenges when it comes to lifestyle change. We encourage you to talk with your DPP coach and other program participants outside of the regularly scheduled meetings.

During the first half of the program, you will learn to:

  • Eat healthier – without giving up all the foods you love
  • Add physical activity to your life – even if you don’t think you have time
  • Manage your stress – personal or professional
  • Cope with challenges that can derail your hard work – like how to choose healthy food when eating out
  • Get back on track if you stray from your plan — everyone slips now and then.

Once Your DPP Classes Start

All supplies and handouts will be provided for the duration of the program. We will provide a folder to organize all the materials. You may bring any stationery you like for taking additional notes if you wish. Please do not bring any letters or blood work from your doctor’s office to the sessions.

Regular class attendance is important and expected. That said, we understand that occasionally participants may have to miss a class due to illness, a personal matter or work obligations. If you have to miss a class, let your coach know in advance so you can work together on completing the activity plan and goals from the session you will miss.

All of these celebrations are another reason why this program is a year long! You will learn how to enjoy life events without “throwing everything out the window”. Each special occasion will be an opportunity to use what you have learned to enjoy the festivities, while staying on your new path. Remember, the program does not include a restrictive diet plan, so no food is off limits.

Yes, you can. If others in your support system express interest in joining you in our DPP, we’d be happy to screen them to see if they are eligible.

Many physicians monitor the progress of program participants they refer to as part of the medical service they provide.