MASON CITY – The Mason City City Council OK’d an initiative to become a “Blue Zone Pilot Community” Tuesday night.
A presentation was made by Mercy Medical Center CEO Jim Fitzpatrick on the benefits citizens cold see if Mason City took part in the program.
Fitzpatrick said the Blue Zones are a combination of “pretty simple things that we can do as individuals, as a community, to try and create a healthier environment for people that live here.”
The City Council voted 6-0 to go ahead and pursue the idea.
Communities who submit Statements of Interest will be competitively scored and invited to submit full applications due in January 2012.
The first round of communities selected as Blue Zone sites will be announced in May 2012.
Mayor Bookmeyer asked that the following information be relayed to the public:
Click here to learn more about Blue Zones in Iowa
He also said interested persons can send a text message to 772937 with these letters: bzp.
—-
NOTES: Albert Lea is “the first pioneer in the Blue Zones Vitality Project,” according to an August article in U.S. News and World Report. This is a very good article that spells out how Albert Lea has been transformed by the Blue Zones project. Give it a read, here.
Waterloo has also applied to become a Blue Zone Community.
Watch video of Mr. Fitzpatrick’s presentation:
