An Alaska company losing the obesity game calls in health coaches (NPR)

To make healthy behavioral changes, sometimes you have to call in a professional. Health coach is a growing profession that helps clients make the tough decisions, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. "When they actually make that step and make an appointment with me, they're ready," said Kelly Heithold, a health coach at Providence Alaska Medical Center. "And they say, 'Help me. I know what I need to do, I just don't know how to get there." Margaret Moore, founder of Wellcoaches Corp., says her company has trained most of the 6,000 health coaches in the U.S. Moore expects that number to grow now that Medicare has started paying for up to 20 obesity counseling sessions a year.

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