Blue Zones
After a decade of dedicated efforts, the NCH sponsored Blue Zones Project Southwest Florida has achieved its goal of transformative change and well-being improvement across the region. Through your engagement, Southwest Florida’s leaders and residents have driven meaningful change in the community—earning us the designation as the first certified Blue Zones Community® in the state—and making healthy choices easier where people live, work, learn, and play. As the Project’s active engagement concludes at the end of August, NCH and its many local partners are committed to sustaining and expanding upon these achievements.
More than 275,000 individuals and 835 organizations have driven meaningful change in the community. Overall well-being is up 3.2-points since 2015 and more than $200 million in value has been created for Southwest Florida through healthcare and workforce productivity savings, grant funding, and media value.
Now, NCH and its many local partners will sustain and build upon the strong foundation laid by Blue Zones Project to further Southwest Florida’s progress to optimal health and well-being. NCH’s sponsorship of Blue Zones Project and investment in well-being has helped shape the environment of Southwest Florida to foster healthier living and we remain committed to that objective for the community.
By engaging in this movement, Southwest Florida took on a challenge that few communities dare to tackle, and the positive steps taken through Blue Zones Project have created a strong foundation for the community to continue building upon.
We are extremely grateful for the local Blue Zones Project committee members, volunteers, organizations, and champions that contributed to the work. Individuals, families, businesses, and organizations have joined the movement to make healthy choices easier. The result is a positive shift toward more active living, healthier eating, and stronger social connections, which will continue to improve residents’ well-being for years to come.
The journey to well-being is ongoing in Southwest Florida. We encourage all those who have been involved over the last ten years to keep the momentum established by NCH and Blue Zones Project going and continue their commitment to making a lasting impact on the community we love.
More details about the community’s sustainability plan and opportunities for additional well-being engagement will be shared on this page throughout the summer as plans evolve.
About Blue Zones Project
Blue Zones Project® was brought to Southwest Florida in 2015 by NCH with the goal of decreasing chronic disease and helping residents live longer, healthier and happier lives. To date, the project has impacted over 760 organizations and more than 275,000 individuals.
Blue Zones Project Southwest Florida is a community well-being initiative that works with individuals, homeowners associations, faith-based organizations, restaurants, grocery stores, schools and businesses in the community to help make healthy choices easier. The idea is to implement best practices and encourage small changes in the environment that have a profound effect on well-being over time.
This is done using National Geographic research that found nine commonalities among people around the world who live the longest and healthiest. These longevity hotspots are known as Blue Zones and the principles they follow are dubbed the Power 9®.
Digital Well-Being
Blue Zones Project is now providing access to free tools and resources through the Sharecare online platform to help power your well-being.
Starting with the RealAge health assessment, each person – no matter where they are in their health journey – is provided a customized well-being plan, challenges and easy connection to information and evidence-based programs to help live their best (and youngest) life.
