BCHD Aims to Continue Blue Zones Project

The Beach Cities Health District is in the midst of negotiations to directly administer and continue the Blue Zones Project, a healthy living initiative that began three years ago under the supervision of Healthways, the Beach Reporter reported last Wednesday.

The BCHD board of directors on May 29 approved a 2013-2014 budget that allocates "$78,000 per month for salaries, community outreach, advertising and other costs to run the program in-house," according to the report.

In 2010, the three Beach Cities—Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach—signed a contract with Healthways for $1.8 million for a pilot version of the project, then known as the Healthways-Blue Zones Vitality City initiative. The final $200,000 payment is due in October.

BCHD CEO Susan Burden said the project, so far, has been beneficial to the area.

"It's a rare thing that you can come up with a real measurable success like this in the public health field," she told the newspaper. "We are the envy of the public health world right now."

• Full story: Health District Budgets Funds to Continue Blue Zones Project [Beach Reporter]

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