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WELCOA
Press Releases
WELCOA Takes
National Obesity Forum to New York
OMAHA (NE)--The Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) will be holding
a National Forum to address the issue of Obesity June 19th and 20th
at the Metropolitan Hotel in New York, NY. The forum will consist
of Health Practitioners from over 80 companies in NY and the surrounding
area.
The two-day training is designed to train wellness professionals
on how to develop and implement comprehensive programs to reduce
and treat the incidence of obesity at the workplace, increase productivity,
and improve quality of life. The forum is by invitation only and
is offered at no cost to select wellness practitioners across the
nation. The NY forum will be the second of it's kind, as the first
conference was held in Omaha, NE. April 17th & 18th .
The Obesity Forum is designed to help practitioners lessen the
number of obesity-related burdens for individuals at the workplace,
by way of presentations directly targeting the epidemic and it's
negative effects. The training will consist of three speakers including
Dr. David Hunnicutt PhD, President of WELCOA, Mr. Michael Samuelson,
Chairman of the National Center for Health Promotion, and Dr. Richard
Collins M.D. "The Cooking Cardiologist", Immanuel Health
Systems.
The topics covered by the speakers will include: The Significance
of Addressing Obesity in the Workplace: This theme will cover the
necessity and potential payoffs of effectively addressing obesity
in the workplace. By providing an aerial view of the magnitude of
the problem, participants will gain a solid understanding of why
this issue is of particular concern to American businesses. Theory
Behind the Thinking: The process of how people change when it comes
to managing their weight, dispelling myths of weight loss and highlighting
successful pathways to positive change. Profiles in Success: Case
studies of outstanding companies that have successfully addressed
obesity in their organizations, giving participants the understanding
of what it takes to establish programs that will make a difference.
The Road to Treatment: This section will extend treatment options
available to obese persons. Covering topics such as fad diets, over
the counter medication options, Internet dieting and pharmaceutical
intervention and outlining a comprehensive, sensible, and safe program
for addressing obesity in the workplace. Cooking Cardiology: In
this segment Dr. Richard Collins will treat participants to a lesson
on heart healthy cooking. Using techniques from his best selling
cookbook, he'll demonstrate how to prepare low fat, delicious foods
that are both simple and creative.
According to "The Continuing Epidemic of Obesity in the United
States",
obesity today is affecting workers more today than ever, and continues
to increase at an alarming rate. At present growth rates, the obesity
epidemic threatens to take over a quarter of the U.S. population
by 2005; a third of the population by 2013; and a century past one
of our nation's greatest debacles, the great stock market crash,
American business will face another challenge of epic proportions-a
majority of its people will be obese.
Dr. Collins speaks to the growing epidemic, "In America it
only takes one calorie to roll down your car window to get a 700
calorie breakfast. It's a combination simply that we're consuming
more and expending less."
Says Dr. Hunnicutt, "Obesity, and its effect on American workforce
is an issue of significant concern. It's important that every worksite,
large or small, have a plan in place to address this pressing issue."
The Wellness Councils of America is a non-profit organization devoted
to promoting wellness at the worksite. For more information about
the Wellness Councils of America visit their WebPage at www.welcoa.org
or call (402) 827-3590.
Contact:
Bo Abresch
Wellness Councils of America
Phone: (402) 827-3590
Fax: (402) 827-3594
Email: babresch@welcoa.org
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