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PHENOMENAL TURNOUT AT BLUE ZONES PROJECT HAWAII LAUNCH PARTIES

"Epic..."

"...beyond spectacular."

"Everyone is asking when's the next 'party', it was that AWESOME!!"

Those are just some of the comments circulating after Blue Zones Project Hawaii launched three back-to-back kick-off events in just 24 hours on two islands this past weekend.

The turnout at each of the three community celebrations instantly filled the venues to capacity, with lines forming an hour before the kick-offs even started!

Check out the numbers:

Koolaupoko (Windward Oahu) 

• Attendance: 850
• Pledges: 210

East Hawaii & Mayor's Health Fest 

• Attendance: 1200
• Pledges: 315

North Hawaii 

• Attendance: 700
• Pledges: 297

The kick-off "tour" began on Friday, October 16 in Koolaupoko at Windward Community College, then in East Hawaii on Saturday morning, October 17, at Hilo's Civic Auditorium in partnership with Hawaii Island Mayor Billy Kenoi's annual Mayor's Health Fest, and ending in North Hawaii Saturday afternoon at Waimea's Kahilu Theatre and Kahilu Town Hall.

All three launch parties were free and family-friendly, with local entertainment, booths and activities centered around the Blue Zones Project Power 9 principles, from a Downshift Lounge with free massage, yoga, and meditation, to Move Naturally demos, a Keiki (child) Zone to promote Family First, Plant Slant healthy cooking demos, food tastings, garden demos, and more!

Blue Zones Founder and CEO Dan Buettner delivered a dynamic keynote presentation to standing room only crowds in the theatres where he took center stage and shared inspirational stories from the original Blue Zones areas where people reach age 100 at 10 times the average rate.

HMSA CEO Mike Gold and Elisa Yadao, Senior Vice President of HMSA's Consumer Experience Division, also took the stage to share some of HMSA's vision around a healthier state for everyone which is why they brought Blue Zones Project to Hawaii.

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^®.