The Gaston & Porter
Health Improvement Center, Inc.
Follow Us
Prime Time Sister Circles®
Our Signature Program
We know that major lifestyle changes can occur successfully with a partner and within a group support structure - e.g. groups to increase exercise, improve stress management, and eliminate addictions to drugs, food and gambling.
African American women often have very strong friendships and usually function well inside both family and social groups. Therefore, a potentially effective intervention is for women to make lifestyle changes with Prime Time Sisters and within Prime Time Sister Circles®(PTSC).
The PTSC is designed to be a culture, gender and age specific, curriculum-based, 12 week, facilitated, interactive support group intervention for African American women between 40-75 years of age. The Circles meet for 2 hours a week in community based settings e.g. churches; libraries; community and health centers.
Our Programs are available in select areas of the United States, while we continue to expand to diverse communities.
Our Program Goals:
EMPOWER
Empower women to make health their first priority.
Motivate women to improve their health outcomes and reduce obesity and chronic illnesses by increasing knowledge, improving attitudes, and changing behaviors in the targeted risk factor areas of: unmanaged stress; poor nutrition; sedentary behavior; and failure to prioritize their health.
WELLNESS TRAINING
Reduce risk factors for obesity and chronic illness through a holistic approach to change and prevention.
Provide long term follow-up through a web-based alumnae association to help women maintain and sustain the health promoting knowledge, attitudes and behaviors gained during the short term weekly group sessions.
SUPPORT
Support women in:
providing the necessary skills and tools through weekly sessions using the GPHIC designed curriculum; facilitators and experts; and daily use of a log for behavior journaling to enable women to replace habits of disease with habits of health.
Providing individualized plans to live daily lives of primary and secondary prevention.
Assisting women with no medical home to find and enter into ongoing health care.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Expand current programs through the development of a cadre of women facilitators/ community health leaders to institutionalize a health movement in their communities.
Continue to document the results of the intervention in journals (JNMA,2007) and presentation.
The development of the National Training Institute.
These goals are developed under the umbrella of the publication and distribution of our book:
"Prime Time: The African American Woman’s Complete Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness.