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Healthways Reps to Discuss ‘Blue Zones’ Wellbeing Efforts in Paducah

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The City of Paducah is one step closer to becoming the first designated “Blue Zone” community in Kentucky.

Healthways is a Tennessee-based health consulting company whose Blue Zones Project identifies ways to improve community wellbeing and increase the longevity of residents. The designation identifies areas like healthcare costs, productivity and the quality of school lunches. Dermatologist Evelyn Jones is leading the Paducah effort.

“We are very unhealthy we have great need. The cost of this lack of quality health is paralyzing us financially in the state of Kentucky. They picked Paducah as being the most likely community that could adopt a Blue Zone makeover project,” said Jones.

Jones says seven Healthways Blue Zones team members will come to Paducah next week to hold a presentation, focus groups and community assessment. Kentucky is 49th in the U.S in overall well-being according to a Gallup-Healthways 2016 Community Well-Being Rankings released last month. There are 37 Blue Zones communities in the country.

 

Ebony Clark is a student at Murray State University majoring in computer science. She was born in Brownsville, Tennessee. Ebony has served as a reporter for 4-H congress in Nashville, TN where she spoke with several state leaders and congressmen. Ebony enjoys writing poetry and spoken word and competed in Tennessee's Poetry Out Loud competition hosted by the arts council in Nashville,TN.
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