Last week Forbes magazine’s article, “What Costa Rica’s Blue Zone Can Teach Us About the Future of Well-Being And Longevity,” by Cathy Hackl shared an overview about the origin and benefits of Blue Zones communities. National third-party endorsement that has validated success in fifty communities across America raises the perplexing question, “Why don’t other communities participate with alacrity?”
One provocative passage from the above article, disruptive to entrenched and antiquated thinking, contains a quote from Priscila Chaves, a Costa Rican social tech-entrepreneur and ethics thought leader:
“The question that still stands is, how can we translate these apparent otherworldly effects, to the rest of us? Many believe it will be through the cutting-edge innovations of regenerative medicine that the privileges of the blue zones can be democratized, so that anyone, anywhere, and at any time has access to the technology that allows us to replenish, replace and rejuvenate our physical bodies.
“What we’ve witnessed during 2020 are healthcare systems around the world that are reactive, bureaucratic, inefficient, and saturated. They’re focused on sick care, and so the actual healthcare is often neglected. Imagine yourself in a future not-so-distant, where more conscious lifestyle decisions you make at an individual level, are supported by a branch of medicine that attempts to change the course of diseases and regenerates failing parts of our bodies. Longevity then would not be a luxury only reserved for a few living in blue zones, but a reality for billions.
“In the future, when we do emerge from the current pandemic, many cities and companies will revisit well-being as a main topic for their citizens and employees. There will be a lot to learn and a lot to do to get back to a healthier normal. That is when brands, businesses and cities will be able to look at blue zones like the one in Nicoya and find a model to follow.
“When that day comes, Nicoya’s blue zone will continue to be an example of the resiliency of the human body and spirit. For many the hope is that the lessons that these centenarians can teach us and the secrets of well-being and longevity that live in this extraordinary part of the world, will be able benefit all of humanity in the future.”
Fortune magazine echoed the same theme last week in an article entitled “It’s time for hospitals become more active in their communities” with the following quote:
“Hospitals are seen, sometimes literally, as saviors within their communities. To treat the afflicted is no minor responsibility. But their reach can—and should—extend well beyond treating the patients that arrive at a hospital’s doorsteps.
“That was the takeaway I [author Sy Mukherjee] got from a conversation with experts such as Kyu Rhee of IBM Watson Health, Dr. Josh Sharfstein and Dr. Rachel Thornton of Johns Hopkins, Barbie Robinson, the director of health services in Sonoma County, CA, and Dr. Jack Westfall, director of the Robert Graham Center, during a panel discussion with Fortune this morning.
“To put things in context: Hospitals are largely judged on metrics such as how many patients are readmitted after being released. Those metrics can dictate their rankings on ‘Best Hospital’ lists.
“But that alone can’t explain a hospital’s capabilities or explain the progress that has to be made. All of our panelists this morning emphasized that a hospital needs to be more than a triage center—it needs to be an active participant in the community on issues such as environmental sustainability, food security, mental health services, and actively engaging the populations that they serve.
“In short: It’s not enough to just be a brick and mortar building that treats those who are already sick, you need to actually do the groundwork to make sure that people don’t get sick in the first place.”
“That was the takeaway I [author Sy Mukherjee] got from a conversation with experts such as Kyu Rhee of IBM Watson Health, Dr. Josh Sharfstein and Dr. Rachel Thornton of Johns Hopkins, Barbie Robinson, the director of health services in Sonoma County, CA, and Dr. Jack Westfall, director of the Robert Graham Center, during a panel discussion with Fortune this morning.
“To put things in context: Hospitals are largely judged on metrics such as how many patients are readmitted after being released. Those metrics can dictate their rankings on ‘Best Hospital’ lists.
“But that alone can’t explain a hospital’s capabilities or explain the progress that has to be made. All of our panelists this morning emphasized that a hospital needs to be more than a triage center—it needs to be an active participant in the community on issues such as environmental sustainability, food security, mental health services, and actively engaging the populations that they serve.
“In short: It’s not enough to just be a brick and mortar building that treats those who are already sick, you need to actually do the groundwork to make sure that people don’t get sick in the first place.”
Fortunately, an objectively proven method to improve entire communities is in place in over fifty communities in America—the Blue Zones Project (BZP). These BZP regions, with pre-existing healthier and happier inhabitants, have done better than non-BZP communities responding to COVID-19.
Benjamin Franklin sagely declared, “When you're finished changing, you're finished.” Organizations within BZP communities experience improved health and decreased costs. Follow Franklin’s advice and be part of a change for the better.
