Programs for Employees

Programs for Employees

Plant Docs programs for employees:

• Plant Docs Jumpstart Your Health
• Plant Docs cooking classes
• Plant Docs Corporate Wellness programs

Rhode Island Department of Health Programs

Ready for Health

Ready for Health is a year-long CDC-approved evidence-based lifestyle change program proven to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Anyone 18 or older with prediabetes, a history of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy), or who is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes can participate virtually or in-person. The American Diabetes Association defines prediabetes as fasting blood sugar between 100 and 125 mg/dL, or an A1C (a measure of average blood glucose) of between 5.7% and 6.4%. Take the Risk Test.

Employers can provide access to a diabetes prevention program to help shift healthcare spending to prevention and reduce healthcare costs associated with managing diabetes. overall. Preventing diabetes creates a ripple effect that benefits your employees, your clients, and your organization.  Learn more about how to provide Ready for Health access to your employees with:

• Ready for Health Lifestyle Change Program Infographic
• Multi-lingual brochures:
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Portuguese
• Transform Your Health: Join the Community Health Network's Wellness Programs

The Community Health Network offers a wide-variety of free and low-cost evidence-based lifestyle change programs available to your employees.  To find programs, download our menu, and register, visit Community Health Network.  The prediabetes risk test is also available on this webpage, along with a menu of upcoming class offerings and more.

New Pathway to Evidence-based Programs

The RIDOH Diabetes and Cardiovascular Health Program has launched a new referral pathway to streamline referrals for two CDC-recognized, evidence-based lifestyle change programs designed to effectively prevent and manage hypertension and prediabetes.

These programs are: 

1. Ready for Health  a National Diabetes Prevention Program 
2. Healthy Heart Ambassador Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program 

Effective June 1, 2026, RIDOH now manages referrals to these programs. This is a change from past practice, in which RIDOH partnered with RIPIN to manage referrals through the Community Health Network (CHN). Referrals for other programming that was part of the CHN will be managed by their respective providers; for a listing of program contacts, go to ripin.org/chn.  We have truly valued our partnership with RIPIN for CHN operations and are grateful for the years of collaboration. 

Who is eligible for these programs? 

Ready for Health is for overweight adults (18 and older) who do not have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, are not currently pregnant, and who: 

• Have been diagnosed with prediabetes; or
• Previously had gestational diabetes; or  
• Score high on the Take the Test - Prediabetes | Diabetes | CDC. 

The Healthy Heart Ambassador Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring Program is for adults (18 and older) who:  

• Have been told by a healthcare professional that they have hypertension; 
• Do not have atrial fibrillation or other arrythmias; 
• Are not at risk for lymphedema; and  
• Have not had a cardiac event within the past year.  

Participants in lifestyle change programs are more likely to develop healthy habits for life, reduce emergency healthcare visits, lose weight, stabilize their blood sugar, and manage uncontrolled high blood pressure. If you have patients or clients who could benefit from our trusted health programs, refer them to us and we’ll take it from there! 

To make a referral, please complete a short referral form. The RIDOH Diabetes and Cardiovascular Health Bilingual Spanish Lifestyle Change Program Navigator will follow up with your patient directly to assist them in enrolling into a program.