Miami Beach is moving the needle toward a healthier tomorrow as it leverages partnerships to become a Blue Zones city.
“It’s [becoming a Blue Zones city] a multi-layered process over several years,” said Mayor Steven Meiner. “We are leveraging our partnerships right now with Mount Sinai, Jackson, UM and others, and really looking forward to using those partnerships to drive forward. Obviously, there’s several aspects of building on the foundation, and then the Blue Zone project transformation, which can take about four years. That’s what we’re in the process of doing, and it’s going really well so far.”
According to the Blue Zones Project’s website, the health initiative differs from others as it “looks to knock down siloed efforts through an inclusive and comprehensive approach to population health. The project focuses instead on comprehensively changing a community’s environments so that healthy choices are easier for individuals to make. The Blue Zones Project is unique because it takes a systematic environmental approach to improving well-being through policy, programs, building design, social networks, and the built environment.”
Additionally, as noted in the website, the Blue Zones Project brings together residents and business owners “with a focus on improving well-being for themselves and their neighbors.” When an entire community participates, the website says, small changes lead to large benefits such as lowered healthcare costs and improved productivity.
Mayor Meiner shared that the “timeline that was proposed is nine months of foundational planning and four years for full implementation.”
In June’s commission meeting, city officials discussed searching for funders to fuel the health-oriented program for $1.5 million a year over the next five years.
Additionally, in that meeting Commissioner Tanya Bhatt said she had been working to “shore up funding” and finding partners in the community “who will underwrite” the program and be sponsors and partners with the city.
Ms. Bhatt said conversations with entities such as Mount Sinai, UM and Jackson were going on.
“I give a lot of credit to Commissioner Bhatt,” said Mayor Meiner, “for spearheading and bringing this initiative. She is, to my understanding, having those discussions and taking the lead on that, and I anticipate she’ll continue to do that.”
Mayor Meiner said “there should be a creation of a steering committee to lead and guide the process, and that’s partly the leveraging the partnerships and also guiding us into further amplifying our health and wellness status. We’re looking for volunteers, ambassadors. It’s exciting. Really, it captures people’s interests, imagination.”
There’s a lot of excitement revolving around Blue Zones, he said, which is partly why the city will be successful in leveraging the initiative.
“Miami Beach is already asserting its leadership in the health and wellness arena,” he said, “and the Blue Zones will certainly only enhance. From Wodapalooza to Muscle Beach and some of the partnerships that we’re making, Miami Beach is definitely on the map in a big way for health and wellness and Blue Zones too. It’s gotten a lot of attention.”
The long-term impacts were also highlighted by Mayor Meiner.
“The beauty is also that the anticipation is that over a 10-year span,” he said, “there should be significant economic benefits and savings to Miami Beach for having these health and wellness initiatives, not just from a fitness standpoint, but also healthy lifestyle, green spaces … parks and healthy living, healthy eating. It’s really a multi-faceted dynamic, and I’m excited about it. It definitely paints Miami Beach in something that we are and will continue to be leaders in.”
The post Miami Beach follows four-year path to be Blue Zone city appeared first on Miami Today.
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