New web site features new design, improved navigation, streamlined content and search functionality.

The National Institute of Whole Health, pioneers of Whole Health Education® and Whole Person Health Care™, today announced the launch of their new Word Press- based web site. The dramatically improved site was created by the National Institute of Whole Health’s staff in partnership with Zayko, a Brookline, MA based web design and development studio and Walk in My Shoes Production, an Avon, CT media company.

“Providing access to information is a cornerstone of our mission,” said Dr. Georgianna Donadio, Program Director for the National Institute of Whole Health (NIWH). “Our new web site makes it easier and faster for our perspective students to get the information they need and want, so they can be able to discern if this post professional training is what they are looking for.”

The new site was born out of feedback from NIWH staff, faculty, advisory board members, collaborators, students and alumni, and now offers:

• A clean, uncluttered design
• First-ever search functionality
• Improved navigation to and from all pages
• More opportunities for interaction with NIWH on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
• An NIWH blog which seeks to demystify the science of health and wellness ™

Since 1977, NIWH has provided evidence-based, integrative Whole Health programs. The programs are delivered through on-line, video-based courses and include assigned Academic Advisers, continuing education contact hours for health and education professionals, on-line forums and chat rooms, inclusion in national insurance provider networks, networking support for graduates and malpractice insurance. In addition, for nurses, the program course work also qualifies them to sit for the national Holistic Nurses Certification examination. For more information, visit www.niwh.org. ### 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 the Norman Cousins Award nominated Best Practice Whole Health Education certification program. The Whole Health Educator program for Nurses, endorsed by the American Holistic Nurses Association along with the Whole Health Nutrition Educator certification program and Whole Health Coaching certification program, can be completed via video streamed on-line 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 on-line distance learning with students located on five continents. For more information, visit www.niwh.org or call (888) 354-HEAL (4325). Press Contact: Carol Arnold, Arnold Communications, (877) 718-4604 x2, carol@arnoldcomm.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Institute of Whole Health & Bark Coaching Institute Partner to Provide Whole Health Education® with Health Coaching Competencies

Sedona, AZ – Two long standing AHNA endorsed programs, Bark Coaching Institute, formerly AsOne Coaching, and the National Institute of Whole Health, are working together to provide a comprehensive program which includes both whole health patient education and health coaching competencies for nurses.

Nurse health coaches are becoming an important component in addressing the urgent need for reducing chronic conditions, heart disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome and stroke. An innate part of nursing skills and knowledge is providing patient education and behavioral change facilitation. What the Whole Health Education with combined Health Coaching Competencies program adds to the nurse’s tool box is two fold.

The Whole Health Education component provides an evidence-based, demystified body of health knowledge and information that goes beyond the linear, symptoms oriented, treatment oriented education nurses receive during training. By having a clear, integrated and scientific understanding of how and why disease manifests in the body due to chronic lifestyle choices, nurses can provide their patients with the information they need to take greater control of their health. In addition, nurse professionals can use this new whole person health information to take better care of their own health.

The Health Coaching Competencies taught under the guidance of Linda Bark, RN, PhD, MCC, gives nurses new tools and modalities with which to facilitate their patient’s organic choices of how they would like to get well, stay well and take control of their health and the quality of their life.

The combination of these two evidence-based, hospital tested disciplines are not only important skills for today’s nurse, but this patient education model of disease prevention with health coaching, is a billable and reimbursable health insurance service when provided in a medical practice or by a nurse practitioner.

The combined program meets the published guidelines that Medicare, Medicaid, the Institutes of Medicine and the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Organizations (JCAHO) published in 2005 for the practice of health care in all settings. These guidelines include: "patients at the center of their healthcare decision making; care for the whole person; and evidenced-based patient health education" as key guidelines.

Dr. Bark is the founder and director of Bark Coaching Institute, formerly AsOne Coaching. She will be providing coaching competency training for NIWH as part of the Whole Health Education practicum and externship portion of the program. Her career in coaching began almost 20 years ago when she trained with early founders of the coaching movement. Her coaching training program is an International Coaching Federation accredited, distance education program in Coaching Skills and Competencies for all levels of the coaching profession.

NIWH, established in1977, has for over three decades, provided evidence-based, integrative whole health programs, delivered through relationship-centered, whole person health focused programs for health care and medical professionals who desire to provide more than symptom oriented patient care. This approach integrates the most current medical research with a natural outlook on healing and the wisdom of various spiritual teachings, all of which are grounded in integrity and compassion.

Both organizations are pleased to be working together to provides these two important “missing links” in health care. Beginning in early August 2010, both organizations will be participating in a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Community Health pilot study which will evaluate the effectiveness on patient outcomes utilizing Whole Health Education with health coaching. Eight (8) MGH nurse health coaches will receive the Whole Health Education training and health coaching competencies. They will document during the training, and for a one year period afterwards, how the model of Whole Health Education impacts their work with their patients to create sustainable lifestyle changes and improved health outcomes.

For more information, you may contact Dr. Linda Bark at 510-864-2006 or the National Institute of Whole Health at 888-354-4325, www.niwh.org.