It’s a master plan unique to each community, one that will guide residents of North Hawaii, East Hawaii, and Koolaupoko (Windward Oahu) towards their very own, custom-made Blue Zones Project vision.

In 2015, HMSA and Blue Zones Project announced three Demonstration Communities to lead the way in improving the overall health and well-being of Hawaii.  The three communities are East Hawaii and North Hawaii on Hawaii Island and Koolaupoko on Oahu.  These communities will be transformed into environments where the healthy choice is the easy choice. 

Before we can begin optimizing environments and nudging people toward healthier choices, we need to build our committees and volunteer teams. Now is your chance to get involved. Come talk story about Blue Zones Project at one of our upcoming events and learn more about the various committee positions and volunteer opportunities that will drive this project forward. 

Reposted from Business Wire on February 13, 2015.

HILO, Hawaii & NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hawai’i Medical Service Association (HMSA), Blue Zones, LLC and Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY) today announced that three Hawaii communities have been selected as Hawaii’s first Blue Zones Project^® Demonstration Communities. HMSA and Blue Zones Project congratulated East Hawaii, North Hawaii and Windward Oahu (Ko`olaupoko) at an announcement ceremony in Hilo. These three communities will now join the island of Kauai, which was a selected to be a Blue Zones Project pilot community in 2013. Blue Zones Project Hawaii was launched through a partnership between HMSA and Healthways to improve the health and well-being of the state.

“Blue Zones Project has a proven track record,” said HMSA Chief Transformation Officer Michael Stollar. “In Iowa, Minnesota and California, Blue Zones Communities have lowered their healthcare costs, increased productivity and measurably improved the quality of life for their residents. Evidence like this shows that we have a tremendous opportunity to invest in the health and well-being of Hawaii.”

Blue Zones Project brings together citizens, schools, employers, restaurants, grocery stores and community leaders to improve the living environment so the healthy choice is not only easy but often unavoidable. Hawaii communities that expressed an interest in earning Blue Zones Project certification submitted applications last September. Now that they have been selected, these communities will work with national experts to develop and implement a blueprint for permanent environmental, social and policy changes that will result in healthier behaviors and longer, happier lives.

See the full story from Business Wire >>

Reposted from Pacific Business News on December 19, 2014.

The Hawaii Medical Service Association is initiating a health and well-being project in Hawaii to inspire more healthy living choices as part of its ten-year agreement with Healthways.

In 2005, National Geographic Explorer Dan Buettner started the Blue Zones Project after researching the links between demographics and longevity, and dubbed the areas with the longest life spans "Blue Zones" throughout the world, including places like Okinawa, Japan.

HMSA, a newly designated Blue Zones Employer, is advocating for Hawaii's designation as a Blue Zones Community and reaching out to recruit more Blue Zones employers. It plans to announce three Hawaii communities joining the initiative next year.

"The healthy choice is the easy choice," said Michael Stollar, senior vice president of the HMSA health services division. "We are working in the nature of our designation as an employer to make substantive changes within policy, environment, and create opportunities for employees to connect at a social support level, and opportunities for exercise or natural movement within a work day."

See the full story from Pacific Business Journal >>

JOIN OUR TEAM

TRANSFORM OUR COMMUNITY

HMSA and Healthways are collaborating with communities in Hawaii to establish Blue Zones Project^®, an initiative that makes healthy choices easier through changes to the environment, policy, and social connections.

In early October, Blue Zones Project representatives will begin visiting communities that have shown interest in adopting Blue Zones^® principles. Bring your friends, family, and neighbors to a free educational visit and get more information on the steps to become a Blue Zones Community^®. When individuals, employers, schools, restaurants, and grocery stores work together, we can create an even healthier, happier Hawaii where residents live longer, better^®.

Reposted from Hawaii News Now

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - HMSA, Hawaii's largest health insurance provider, is teaming up with a best selling author to help communities in the islands get healthier.

HMSA is launching Blue Zones Project, which is based off a template created to help lead people to live more active lifestyles.

Elisa Yadao, senior vice president of consumer experience at HMSA is here to explain.

Reposted from West Hawaii Today
by Erin Miller

To make it even easier, you’re supposed to take on just the changes that you’re comfortable with. “The thing to realize is the Power 9 is an à la carte menu,” says Dan Buettner, the National Geographic explorer and author who helped identify the Power 9. “These are all things that not only the longest-living people do, but are also evidence based.”

Buettner discovered the nine commonalities after leading teams to places like Okinawa, Japan, and Loma Linda, Calif., that were known for having large numbers of people who lived to be 100 years old or older (also known as centenarians). What’s more incredible is these centenarians are active – they still work, eat well, and are an integral part of life in their communities.

Buettner and his teams dubbed these places Blue Zones^® and he wrote about them in his book, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.

Reposted from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser
by Kristen Consillio

The Hawaii Medical Service Association is debuting a project it hopes will add at least a dozen years to your life.

The state's dominant medical insurer is partnering with Healthways to help local communities boost their well-being and live longer by making healthy choices easier for residents.

From Sardinia, Italy to Okinawa, Japan, people are living vibrant, active lives well into their hundreds. Author and National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner calls these areas Blue Zones and they’re the inspiration behind his New York Times bestseller, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.

You have a chance to make your community a Blue Zones Community®. By bringing residents, worksites, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and government together, you can help inspire a movement that has the power to improve quality of life for your friends, family, and neighbors for generations to come.