The History of Whole Health
Founded in 1977, the National Institute of Whole Health (NIWH) is the visionary and developer of the hospital-researched model named “Whole Health." NIWH is the leader in this field, as well as the developer of Whole Health Education® and Behavioral Engagement with Pure Presence™. NIWH also provides nationally accredited professional development programs and continuing education for health professionals. We conduct ongoing research to advance Whole Person care.
For almost 50 years, NIWH has offered peer-reviewed, endorsed programs for medical, allied health, and health education professionals. Our Whole Health Education® model, recognized as a "Best Practice in Relationship-Centered Care" by a Harvard-affiliated hospital and nominated by Union Hospital for the Fetzer Institute’s national award, empowers patients with clear, demystified health information that "connects the dots" for healthcare providers and patients alike to promote shared decision-making.
NIWH also collaborates with leading institutions to address healthcare’s communication challenges. Both The Joint Commission and the National Academy of Medicine identified these key guidelines, which are part of the Whole Health model. These guidelines include:
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Placing patients at the center of their health care decision-making
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Treating the patient as a whole person
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Evidence-based health education for prevention and disease management
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Medicaid/Medicare initiatives to include patient education, disease prevention, and “Pay for Performance” reimbursements based on physicians’ documentation of these efforts.
Thus, the tireless work of NIWH has been recognized as important and visionary. This work includes the development of NIWH Whole Person Care™ model of training for nurses and medical providers, as well as the Behavioral Engagement with Pure Presence™ communication skill set. In 2005, the NIWH model became the mandate for “the practice of medicine in all settings.”
By placing patients at the center and fostering whole-person approaches, the National Institute of Whole Health is shaping a healthcare system that values prevention, shared decision-making, and improved outcomes.
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Statement by the Founder of Whole Health Education®
By Georgianna Donadio, DC, MSc, PhD
As submitted to the Norman Cousins Award Committee of the Fetzer Institute
"In 1976, I moved to Boston to complete post-graduate studies in clinical nutrition and begin a private practice in whole health care. I also accepted an invitation to teach a course on holistic health, which I called “Principles of Developing a Whole Health Practice.” When a student asked, “What does a whole health practice look like?" I replied, “Being with the patient, rather than practicing on him; educating the patient, rather than merely treating the symptoms. Whole Health is a "relationship-centered patient education model of care!"
I spent considerable time reflecting on that question. As this ideal practice began to emerge in my mind, it was a total surprise. It was not a “practice” model at all, but a how-to-be-in-relationship model.
The Whole Health Education ® program is the product of an almost 50-year process that has redefined holistic education. Maslow’s five-stage hierarchy, Sir Isaac Newton’s Third law, Mother Theresa’s example of love-centered service, Buddha’s wisdom that “everything is everything”, and the global Golden Rule, found in every major religion in the world, meld into a perspective that encourages an appreciation for patients as whole and unique human beings.
This Whole Health Education program combines one-to-one peer counseling with respectful listening, unconditional Pure Presence, The Big Picture of Health, and current evidence-based medical and alternative health information. Our objective in creating this model was to invite people into the process of their own self-healing and self-care.
NIWH Visionary and Founder,
Dr. Georgianna Donadio
Dr. Donadio is a founder of NIWH, Whole Health Pioneer and Researcher, Nurse Scholar, Medical Educator, Award-winning Nurse Advocate, and #1 Amazon Best Selling Author.
It provided the basis for a new health care modality that expands on traditional holistic education. By 1980, this model of patient interaction was being utilized at a Boston-area state hospital, where an additional nine years of clinical formation helped craft Whole Health Education into its present form. Founder, Dr. Donadio states that “In 2011-2014, the Veterans Administration, after being introduced to the Whole Health model through Duke University staff, embraced the concept and re-worked it into an integrative health model for their patients.”
The philosophy and application of Whole Health Education illustrate that, be it the practice of medicine or business, the micro-relationship of practitioner to patient or the macro-relationship of business to community, there is a rightness of relationship which serves the common good:
A successful patient education model, Whole Health Education, is also a way of being in relationship with others. It demonstrates a transformational power in clinical trials and healing environments when patients, physicians and caregivers experience being known in a profoundly respectful way.
It honors their emotional, social, and spiritual selves, affirming that they are unique and irreplaceable parts of the human family. Whole Health Education represents a renaissance of relationship-centered care and has been called “a touchstone for the future of healthcare."
It is an extraordinary privilege to steward this humble and simple vision, which springs forth from the collective consciousness of the human soul. It has evolved in its own time to befriend us, to remind us of how we can be with one another. It is a response to the heart’s longing for the rapture which comes from embracing our authentic self, for in each of us lies the seed of potential for that wondrous possibility!"