County of Erie to hold ribbon-cutting event for becoming a Blue Zones Project Approved worksite
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 21, 2021
ERIE, PA – Blue Zones Project® Corry announced a celebration will take place on Tuesday, May 25, at noon on the steps of the Erie County Courthouse to recognize the County of Erie’s designation as a Blue Zones Project Approved™ worksite. The county recently completed the approval process, which includes implementing a number of best practices to improve and support employee well-being.
“This designation is a massive contribution to the vitality of Erie County because the healthy changes made by employees in county government will ultimately affect the community’s well-being,” said County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper. “I have witnessed and supported the Blue Zones Project as it transformed the Corry community, and am thrilled with the progress made to expand these efforts into Erie County government.”
“It has been proven that when we feel well we perform well,” said Melissa Lyon, director of the Erie County Department of Health. “Workplace wellness is necessary to enable employees to reach their greatest success each day. The Blue Zones Project has helped Erie County government accomplish this by establishing the best workplace practices. This accomplishment demonstrates that Erie County is committed to maintaining a wellness culture in the workplace.”
When the County of Erie received approval, the typical celebration was postponed due to COVID restrictions.
“We are excited to publicly recognize this accomplishment with our leadership, staff and Blue Zones Project team,” said Laura Beckes, wellness coordinator for the County of Erie. “It’s taken a lot of effort to get here, but we’re living proof that small steps can create significant impact on employee well-being.”
Brought to Corry, Pa., by Highmark/AHN Saint Vincent, Corry Memorial Hospital an affiliate of LECOM Health and UPMC, Blue Zones Project by Sharecare is a well-being improvement initiative designed to enable community members to live longer, healthier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life.
- Contact Erie County: Melissa J. Dixon, mdixon@eriecountypa.gov, 814-812-0089
- Contact Blue Zones Project – Corry: Jennifer Eberlein, Eberlein@sharecare.com, 814-572-7997
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 based on research by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author who identified five cultures 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, 51 communities across North America have joined Blue Zones Project, impacting more than 3.4 million citizens. The population health solution includes two Health Districts in California; 15 cities in Iowa; Albert Lea, Minnesota; the city of Fort Worth, Texas; Corry, Pennsylvania; Brevard, North Carolina; and communities in Southwest Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Blue Zones Project is a partnership between Blue Zones, LLC, and Sharecare, Inc. For more information, visit bluezonesproject.com.
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