Riverside is boosting its commitment to a program aimed at improving residents’ health.
The Riverside City Council agreed Tuesday, Aug. 7, to sponsor the Inland Empire Health Program for $208,300 in the so-called Blue Zone Project. The effort aims to “improve the well-being and economic vitality of residents,” a city report states.
RELATED: $20 million grant aims to improve health in Riverside County
Blue Zones are regions where people tend to live longer, healthier lives and that often see lower rates of chronic diseases. There are only a few blue zone hotspots in the world, including Loma Linda in San Bernardino County.
“Living longer and happier lives should be a goal for all residents,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a March news release on the launch of the city’s project.
Riverside approved a proposal by the Riverside University Health System to assess the city’s eligibility for the initiative in July 2022. The city later met the criteria.
The city’s goals for its Blue Zone Project include focusing on community well-being and strengthening neighborhood identities. This will include urging residents to make more healthy choices in their lives when it comes to food and tobacco.
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The city also plans social activities to support healthy behavior.
Becoming a certified blue zone will take nearly six years and will be completed by 2029.
In late June, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved $400,000 for Riverside University Health System’s Public Health to support its own Blue Zones initiative in target areas of the county.
The Inland Empire Health Plan, the country’s largest nonprofit Medicare/Medicaid public health plan, announced a $20 million grant to its public charity, the Inland Empire Health Plan Foundation in April to work with blue zones over the next five years.
