OTTUMWA —
The local Blue Zones committee is a month out from the city’s final shot at becoming a Blue Zones demonstration site.
“We’re still going strong, but we still need that engagement piece,” said Lynelle Diers, Wapello County Public Health clinical director.
The Blue Zones Project is part of Gov. Terry Branstad’s Healthiest State Initiative to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation by 2016.
A new segment the Ottumwa committee would like to implement following the application is community focus groups.
“So we can hear from the community what they want,” Diers said. “The plan that is developed has to be community-driven.”
While 14.62 percent of Ottumwa residents have pledged their support so far, putting the city in eighth place, Diers said if they are not receiving emails from Blue Zones, they need to go back in and re-pledge.
“People I talk to say they’re for it but when I was at training, they said if they went to a diner and asked people, ‘Do you know about Blue Zones?’ they figure there are still a lot of people who don’t know anything about Blue Zones, which is why we have to continue to educate,” Diers said.
A new piece on the Blue Zones website, called Daily Challenges, gives residents ideas for small changes they can make every day to live a healthier lifestyle.
“It’s a fun activity to get people motivated,” Diers said.
Ottumwa’s addendum — the committee doesn’t need to submit an entirely new application — is due Aug. 27. There will be no site visit this round, but Blue Zones leaders will most likely have a teleconference with the Ottumwa committee.
In the addendum, Blue Zones leaders wanted the committee to incorporate pledges from PTA presidents, restaurants and grocery stores, which Diers said the committee is working on right now.
The committee will also be working with city officials to implement policy changes, such as a comprehensive smoke-free policy in all indoor workplaces, public places and smoke-free multi-unit housing.
Diers said she’s confident Ottumwa will be selected in the next round. The final six communities chosen as Blue Zones demonstration sites will be announced Jan. 1.
Out of the 12 communities chosen for site visits this spring, four were selected as demonstration sites: Cedar Falls, Mason City, Spencer and Waterloo.
“But if we happen to not be selected, we’re still going to go through the process of becoming Blue Zones certified,” Diers said. “The tools are all out there.
“It can change how we live.”
For Your Information
To learn more about the Blue Zones Project, go to www.bluezonesproject.com. To pledge your support, click “Join the Movement.”
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