FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wellcoaches Corporation Partner

Wellesley, MA, – The National Institute of Whole Health pioneers of Whole Health Education® and Whole Person Health Care™, and Wellcoaches Corporation (www.wellcoaches.com), the national leader in health and wellness coaching skills and competencies, today announced they have joined forces to address the gap in the recent federal healthcare reform law. This gap was created by the omission of critical wellness and disease prevention practices and policies that would foster sustainable lifestyles which improve mental and physical health and lower healthcare costs. In order to address this “missing link” in the current U.S. healthcare system, the National Institute of Whole Health (NIWH) and Wellcoaches have partnered to offer programs that educate and train health and wellness professionals in both Whole Health Education and health and wellness coaching.

During the recent hearings on healthcare reform, four of the nation’s leading integrative health physicians recommended that wellness and disease prevention be incorporated into the ongoing practice of medicine. Their recommendations are echoed by prestigious medical and educational institutions, including the Mayo Clinic, the Institute of Coaching at McLean/Harvard Medical School, Duke University, Vanderbilt University, University of Minnesota, and Dr. Mehmet Oz’s HealthCorps. Despite their advice, the new healthcare reform law sidestepped a critical solution to preventing disease, achieving wellness and keeping healthcare costs in check.

“Real healthcare reform means moving from sickness to wellness, from treatment to prevention,” said Margaret Moore, Founder & CEO of Wellcoaches. “NIWH and Wellcoaches are working together to move healthcare in a direction that will make a sustainable improvement of individual health and well-being while saving money.”

NIWH, Wellcoaches and numerous studies on coaching and health outcomes have identified coaching as the critical yet missing solution. Its effectiveness has been proven for a variety of health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

“The treatment of lifestyle-related diseases makes up 70% of healthcare costs and according to a 7 year Harvard Study lifestyle choices can prevent up to 80% of cancers, heart disease and diabetes related mortality and morbidity” said Dr. Georgianna Donadio, Program Director for NIWH. “Today’s health and wellness professionals lack the basic skills and knowledge needed to educate and coach their clients to make lifestyle changes because this information is missing from their education and training programs.”

NIWH and Wellcoaches will co-offer their respective specialty courses and programs to provide healthcare and allied healthcare professionals with evidence-based, whole person focused health education and wellness coaching. The courses include core coaching competencies and skills, as well as courses in whole health sciences and subject focused topics including functional medicine, metabolic syndrome/diabetes, hidden causes of obesity, silent inflammation, living with chronic illness, heart disease and more. In addition, the two organizations are working together to achieve national recognition, standards, and certification for health and wellness coaching.

Since 1977, NIWH has provided evidence-based, integrative Whole Health Education programs, delivered through relationship-centered, whole-person health focused programs for health and medical professionals who desire to provide more comprehensive healthcare. This approach integrates current medical research with a natural outlook on healing and the wisdom of spiritual teachings.

Coaches are experts in facilitating the process of change that enables individuals and organizations realize their full potential. Wellcoaches has worked for ten years to develop, test, and refine a comprehensive and innovative science-based program for training and certifying professional coaches in healthcare, with the endorsement of its strategic partner, the American College of Sports Medicine. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins published the Wellcoaches Coaching Psychology Manual in 2009, the first coaching textbook in healthcare.

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About the National Institute of Whole Health Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Wellesley, MA, the National Institute of Whole Health (NIWH) offers the most respected and credentialed integrative whole health certification programs in the US. NIWH’s offerings include a Norman Cousins Award nominated Best Practice model – the Whole Health Education certification program, a Whole Health Educator program for Nurses, endorsed by the American Holistic Nurses Association, a Nutrition Educator certification program and a Whole Health Coaching certification program which can be completed through on-line distance learning. Recognized nationally as the pioneers of Whole Health Education®, the school has instructed thousands of students from varying health occupations from all over the U.S., and now offers DVD distance learning with students located on five continents. For more information, visit www.niwh.org or call (888) 354-HEAL (4325).

About Wellcoaches Corporation Wellcoaches Corporation is setting a gold standard for professional coaches in healthcare and building the professions of health coach and wellness coach, in strategic partnership with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Founded by Margaret Moore (aka Coach Meg) in 2000, Wellcoaches has trained more than 4,000 physical and mental health professionals as health or wellness coaches in 32 countries, and now trains more than 1,000 coaches each year. Together, Wellcoaches and its coaches are helping people to take charge of their health and well-being and go beyond what they imagined possible on a large scale. Moore is co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and co-director of the annual Harvard Medical School Coaching in Healthcare & Leadership Conference. For more information, visit www.wellcoaches.com. NIWH Press Contact: Carol Arnold, Arnold Communications, (877) 718-4064 x2, carol@arnoldcomm.com. Wellcoaches Press Contact: Beth Laski, (818) 986-1105, blaski@wellcoaches.com.