After completing the final selection round for Blue Zones Project™ demonstration sites in communities with populations greater than 10,000, the scoreboard tool has been removed from this page. Relevant resources for communities with fewer than 10,000 citizens who are interested in applying for future selection rounds will be made available when application opportunities are posted later this year. Questions? Please email bluezonesprojectusa@healthways.com.
The Blue Zones Project™ is a collaboration between Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Healthways to help make Iowa #1 in the nation for well-being, as measured by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®.
It’s the nation's first state-wide, comprehensive well-being improvement initiative, bringing long-term changes to policy, environment and social networks that can lead to lower healthcare cost trends, higher productivity and improved economic and social viability.
In May 2012 and January 2013, ten communities were selected as demonstration sites and will receive direct support from the Blue Zones Project™ team in their journey to become Blue Zones Communities™. They are:
| Cedar Falls | Muscatine |
| Cedar Rapids | Oskaloosa |
| Iowa City | Sioux City |
| Marion | Spencer |
| Mason City | Waterloo |
Recognizing that approximately 50% of Iowa’s residents do not live in communities with more than 10,000 citizens, additional dedicated resources will be available to support smaller communities through their journey to apply the Blue Zones Project principles. Nine communities of this size were selected in October 2012 as demonstration sites and are beginning their journey to improved community well-being. They are:
| Algona | Osage |
| Audubon | Red Oak |
| Decorah | Spirit Lake |
| Fairfield | Woodbine |
| Harlan |
Additional application opportunities for communities with populations below 10,000 citizens will be available soon. In the meantime, consider taking the Blue Zones Project™ Community Readiness Assessment. This tool is designed to help you evaluate your community’s readiness and commitment to achieving certification as a Blue Zones Community™. Completing this assessment provides an opportunity to share the work involved in the well-being transformation effort, and further engage your community in a discussion about its interest in building awareness for the Blue Zones Project in your town. For more information, click here.
Although there are no more opportunities for communities with populations of more than 10,000 citizens to apply to be a demonstration site, the tools and resources on BlueZonesProject.com are available to all Iowans. Stay tuned for more ways to get engaged that will help us all work together toward greater well-being.
