HONOLULU – The Queen’s Medical Center – West O‘ahu has earned the distinction of being only the second health care facility in the nation to become a Blue Zones Project Certified Worksite. The Blue Zones Project in Hawai‘i is an initiative that helps to improve the health and well-being of a community by comprehensively changing a community’s environment.
Blue Zones Project is brought to Hawai‘i by Hawai‘i Medical Service Association (HMSA) to help people easily incorporate healthy habits in the places they live, work and play. Through efforts in organizations like Queen’s – West O‘ahu, the initiative is based on the best practices of the blue zones – the regions in the world where people live the longest and healthiest. The blue zones regions include Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Sardinia, Italy and Loma Linda, California.
Queen’s – West O‘ahu worked diligently to become a certified worksite through the successful completion of some of these well-being best practices:
• Sponsored the ILLUMINATE Walk: Queen’s launched the inaugural ILLUMINATE charity walk on May 11, 2019 in partnership with the Blue Zones Project. The event resulted in 824 registered participants and the walk raised $207,355 to support the hospital in partnering with organizations and businesses to promote health and wellness throughout the community.
• Developed the KidZone program: In partnership with Blue Zones Project, Queen’s developed and launched KidZone, a program dedicated to teaching employees’ keiki the importance of healthy behaviors at a young age. So far 25 keiki have participated in the program.
• Partnered with Island Pacific Academy: Three students were selected to paint a mural depicting what they thought healthy living looked like in West O’ahu. The murals are displayed in the stairwell of the hospital, encouraging people to take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Established healthy dining room changes: In February 2019, the Queen’s – West O‘ahu dining room became a Blue Zones Approved restaurant by making healthier choices available for employees and visitors. By providing healthier options on the salad and hot bar, as well as delicious grab-and-go meals and no-sugar beverages, the dining room saw sales of healthier food options increase by 64% in just one year.
“The Queen’s Medical Center – West O’ahu became a certified Blue Zones Project worksite because we are committed to supporting the health and well-being of our employees. Our efforts included making tangible changes to improve our work environment and practicing positive habits that promote a healthy lifestyle,” said Susan Murray, Chief Operating Officer, The Queen’s Medical Center – West O’ahu.
Click here for a link to Queen’s – West O’ahu’s Blue Zones video.
