New online health program offered to Mass. residents

Better Choices, Better Health is a free, six-week online workshop for those with a chronic health condition.

Health conditions may include: diabetes, depression, back pain, arthritis, heart disease, fibromyalgia, cancer, osteoporosis, lung disease or any other chronic health challenge.

Better Choices, Better Health will help participants feel better, take control of their lives, and once again do the things they want to do.

Better Choices, Better Health was developed and tested at Stanford University. It is offered exclusively through a license from the National Council on Aging. With funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies, it is being piloted in seven states: California, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Oregon.

Up to 25 people participate in the online workshop at any given time. Better Choices, Better Health is moderated by two trained leaders, many of whom also live with ongoing health conditions.

Participation in Better Choices, Better Health requires regular access to the Internet.

Participants log into a secure Web site at their convenience, two to three hours per week. Participants go through a series of online modules, and at the end of each week’s content they develop an action plan to move forward in improving their health.

To sign up for a Better Choices, Better Health workshop, visit https://selfmanage.org/BetterHealth/SignUp and fill in the “Sign Up for a Workshop” box on the right hand side of the screen. You will then be asked to complete a registration form. After your registration form is submitted, you will be notified by email about one to two weeks before the next workshop starts.

Participants will also receive a copy of the Better Choices, Better Health companion book, “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions,” in the mail before their workshop starts.

A limited number of slots are available for Massachusetts residents, so immediate action is advised.