Oskaloosa Advances to One of Twelve Selection Finalists to Become a Blue Zones TM Demonstration Site…Join the movement!

Oskaloosa is a finalist to become a Blue Zone.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – October 18, 2012 – Oskaloosa is one step closer to becoming a blue zone community. Recently placed among 12 selected cities, Oskaloosa will receive a site visit from the Blue ZonesTM Team to be evaluated as a potential demonstration site.

The site visit is scheduled for October 30th from 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the William Penn University Musco Technology Center (MTC). The site visit will invite The Blue Zones ProjectTM Team to review the expectations of a demonstration site to community participants and will allow our community the opportunity to prove why Oskaloosa should be a demonstration site. “There will be large group discussions as well as breakout sessions for city policy leaders, employers, schools, and media as well as the Power 9 and initiative leadership team for this project,” stated YMCA Executive Director, Dawn Collins.

Six of the 12 sites receiving visits will be selected as the final demonstration sites for Blue Zone. According to the recent Mahaska County Community Health needs assessment, Mahaska County ranks 88th of 99 counties for childhood obesity. “We realize the importance of changing this and want our community to become a leader in moving Iowa to the healthiest state in the nation,” stated Collins. The selected communities will receive resources and support from national experts to create environmental, social and policy changes which will support healthier behaviors leading to longer, happier lives, thus becoming a Blue Zone Community.

For more information or to join the movement, contact Dawn Collins at the Mahaska County YMCA. She can be reached at 641.673.8411 or dawn.collins@mahaskaymca.org.