Cambia Health Foundation Leadership Funding Supports Community Health Transformation
PORTLAND, OR/ -- Oregon Healthiest State today announced the selection of The Dalles, Grants Pass, and the Umpqua region that includes Roseburg, as the next wave of Blue Zones Project® Demonstration Communities in Oregon. The three communities will join Klamath Falls, Oregon’s first Demonstration Community, in implementing locally driven, cross-sector health and well-being efforts that enable residents to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases. The three communities were selected to participate in an expanded community transformation effort, led by Oregon Healthiest State with significant funding from the Cambia Health Foundation.
“Oregon’s promise as a place of opportunity and innovation depends on Oregonians who are healthy and hopeful about the future. That’s why Oregon Healthiest State is committed to supporting communities, organizations, and individuals to create and sustain healthy environments to encourage better health and well-‐being,” said Sarah Foster, Oregon Healthiest State executive director. “Right now Oregon’s well-‐being falls in the middle of the pack when ranked against other states. While that’s not bad, Oregonians deserve better. That’s why we have partnered with Blue Zones Project to help drive positive change, with our local communities leading the way.”
Each of the new Blue Zones Project Demonstration Communities will launch their respective initiatives in May with a round of community conversations and information gathering activities. Informed by this Discovery Phase, community leaders and local Blue Zones Project staff will develop a blueprint or strategic plan to guide the multi-‐year initiative.
Leadership funding from Oregon-‐based Cambia Health Foundation helped launch Oregon Healthiest State’s community transformation efforts three years ago and brought Blue Zones Project to Oregon.
”We are proud to have been involved in Oregon Healthiest State from the beginning to give flight to this important movement, and we encourage others to join us,” said Peggy Maguire, president and board chair, Cambia Health Foundation. “The positive energy and momentum around making Oregon the healthiest state is inspiring, and now is the perfect time for others to get involved to help Oregonians lead healthy, happy and productive lives.”
The three-‐year comprehensive Blue Zones Project Demonstration Community model focuses on changing environments, policies, and social networks to improve the well-‐being of residents, lower healthcare costs, power productivity, and increase civic engagement.
“Blue Zones Project has deep experience working in partnership with community leaders, businesses, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, faith communities, public jurisdictions, and others to optimize health in settings where people spend most of their time,” said Aaron Patnode, Blue Zones Project Oregon executive director. “Seeing this approach come to life in Klamath Falls has been so inspiring. We are looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the three new Demonstration Communities and support the unique goals and vision of each.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: A media kit is available in the Oregon Healthiest State Press Room. A Spanish language version of this release is also available in the Press Room.
About Oregon Healthiest State
Oregon Healthiest State is a privately led, publicly supported partnership to assist Oregon communities in achieving better health outcomes. More than 70 percent of our health is influenced by our behaviors and surroundings, while just 30 percent is influenced by genetics and access to health care. That 70 percent is where Oregon Healthiest State focuses its attention. This cross-‐sector, statewide movement addresses health and well-‐being on all levels—physical, mental, emotional, social, financial, and sense of purpose. Oregon Healthiest State will work statewide through initiatives that align allies and resources to take on the state’s most pressing health issues; and at the local level through programs to help communities make healthy options abundant for everyone. Oregon Healthiest State’s goal is that by 2020, Oregonians are healthy, health equity increases, and Oregon is the healthiest state. For more information, visit ORhealthieststate.org.
About Blue Zones Project
Blue Zones Project® is a community-‐led well-‐being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to a city’s environment, policy, and social networks.
Established in 2010, Blue Zones Project is inspired by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-‐selling author who identified five regions of the world—or Blue Zones—with the highest concentration of people living to 100 years or older. Blue Zones Project incorporates Buettner’s findings and works with cities to implement policies and programs that will move a community toward optimal health and well-‐being. Currently, 31 communities in eight states have joined Blue Zones Project, impacting more than 2 million Americans. The movement includes three beach cities in California; 15 cities in Iowa; Albert Lea, Minnesota; the city of Fort Worth, Texas; and communities in Hawaii, Southwest Florida, Wisconsin, and Oregon. Blue Zones Project is a division of Healthways, a Sharecare company. For more information, visit bluezonesproject.com.
About Cambia Health Foundation
Cambia Health Foundation is the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions, a total health solutions company dedicated to transforming the way people experience the health care system. A 501(c)(3) grant-‐making organization, the Foundation invests and partners with organizations to advance palliative care quality, access, and understanding; improve the behavioral health of underserved children; and transform health care to a more person-‐focused and economically sustainable system. Learn more at cambiahealthfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter.
