Relentless resilience and amazing accomplishments by teams in more than 50 communities were among the powerful themes highlighted by Blue Zones Project SVP Michael Acker in a celebratory colleague Town Hall meeting at the end of 2020.
In the face of potential total disruption due to COVID-19, Blue Zones Project migrated from its traditional high-touch approach to remote-support, resulting in impressive annual growth and the virtual implementation of prospective site assessments, discovery blueprints, and safe kickoff events while protecting Blue Zones principles. Critical objectives—operational excellence, sustained growth, financial stewardship, and attracting and retaining top talent—exceeded expectations.
As a result of multi-year efforts to transform local health and well-being, seven Blue Zones Project areas reached key milestones and earned designation as Certified Blue Zones Communities®. We welcomed new communities in Oklahoma and Washington state, and celebrated project expansions and renewals from coast to coast. Our ability to evaluate prospective new communities ramped up with the development and implementation of complete community assessments done virtually and delivered in six communities.
Blue Zones Project teams across the country displayed their resilience and commitment to their communities by pivoting to address local needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In Southwest Florida, partnerships with organizations like HOAs contributed to the successful engagement of nearly 10,000 residents in virtual activities since February 2020. Team members in Corry, Pennsylvania helped secure a $750,000 grant for rural-region fiber Internet capabilities, which allows for more connectivity and supports distance learning in homes previously without access. A collaboration with the County of Hawaii provided an opportunity to serve as the educational component of their COVID series on a statewide news channel.
The ability to measure Blue Zones Project efficacy was bolstered by the addition of Social Determinants of Health data into the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index. Furthermore, state, county, and MSA rankings as well as geospatial and longitudinal analytics will become readily available to Blue Zones Project communities through the index.
Workgroups were established to advance health equity, diversity, and inclusion in our products and programs, as well as into the fabric of our culture as an organization. Twenty-four new colleagues across the country joined the Blue Zones Project team, which deepened its commitment to cross-functional collaboration and weekly engagement opportunities to address isolation and foster workplace well-being.
Going forward, conversations and plans with Richard Leider, deemed the "Pope of Purpose" by Dan Buettner, are maturing to bring additional capabilities to Blue Zones Project participants. Purpose is more important now than ever.
These achievements combined with exciting upcoming initiatives create an optimistic future. Blue Zones Project colleagues have known for some time that optimizing the environment can create a sustainable path to well-being. Now, demand for resiliency at an individual, organizational, and community level is clear. The need for the Blue Zones Project has never been greater.
