BLUE ZONES PROJECT OSKALOOSA ANNOUNCES CITY OF OSKALOOSA AS BLUE ZONES WORKSITES
Oskaloosa, Iowa – November 18, 2014 – Blue Zones Project® Oskaloosa announced today another local employer has become a designated Blue Zones Worksite®. The City of Oskaloosa was designated after completing the necessary items in the Blue Zones Project worksite pledge, such as actively promoting walking or biking to work, placing live plants in the workplace, and stocking the break rooms with 10 inch plates.
“Community members are very proud to see the City of Oskaloosa put well-being first,” said Organization Lead Hannah DeGeest, “by becoming a Blue Zones Worksite they have proven that having healthier and happier employees is a priority, as well as something the city as a whole values. The research-backed Blue Zones Project worksite pledge gave the City of Oskaloosa new and innovative tools to become the leader they are today in the cultural change America is pursing to improve its health.”
The City of Oskaloosa completed designation criteria in the areas of leadership, purpose, habitat and physical environment, engagement and creation of social networks, policies and benefits, and well-being solutions.
“As we progress toward being designated a Blue Zones Community this is an important step.” said Dave Krutzfeldt, Mayor. “I believe our citizens expect the City of Oskaloosa to show leadership by joining the ranks of other Blue Zones Worksites, and am pleased with this achievement. I look forward to recognizing the efforts of our staff at our designation ceremony in the near future.”
The City of Oskaloosa celebrated the success of this achievement with a Ribbon Cutting on Monday, November 17th at 5.30 PM in City Council Chambers at Oskaloosa City Hall.
Centrally located in Southeast Iowa, Oskaloosa is home to 11,500. The City of Oskaloosa is the county seat of Mahaska County. Home to a rich musical heritage, Oskaloosa stakes claim to the oldest Municipal Band west of the Mississippi River.
Brought to Iowa through an innovative sponsorship by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, in collaboration with Healthways and Blue Zones®, Blue Zones Project is a community-by-community well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to environment, policy, and social networks.
For more information about how to become a Blue Zones Worksite, contact the Blue Zones Project team at 641-670-7777 or visit www.bluezonesproject.com.
Oskaloosa is one of 15 other Blue Zones Project demonstration communities that are receiving assistance from experts to develop and implement a blueprint for making permanent environmental, social and policy changes that transition people into healthier behaviors that can lead to longer, happier lives.
The Blue Zones Project is based on Blue Zones® principles developed by Dan Buettner and is the centerpiece of the Healthiest State Initiative to make Iowa the healthiest state by 2016 as measured by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®, the first-ever daily assessment of U.S. residents’ health and well-being. Blue Zones employs evidence-based ways to help people live longer, better lives by taking a systematic, environmental approach to well-being, which focuses on optimizing policy, social networks and the built environments where people spend their time.