Blue Zones to assess community well-being and create plan to help Tyler and Smith County residents live better and longer
TYLER, Texas, March 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Health Foundation of East Texas and Blue Zones, the global leader in longevity research and community well-being transformation, have announced a partnership to launch a Blue Zones IgniteTM assessment in Tyler, TX.
Informed and inspired by the world’s longest-lived cultures, our mission is to empower everyone, everywhere to live better, longer. (PRNewsfoto/Blue Zones)
“Health Foundation of East Texas is excited to partner with Blue Zones. We believe that Tyler and surrounding communities have a unique opportunity to work together across all sectors to improve well-being. The methods are proven and the results will be transformational,” said Smittee Root, Executive Director, Health Foundation of East Texas.
Blue Zones’ team of experts will connect with East Texas leaders and organizations to begin immediate work assessing the strengths, needs, and challenges that residents are facing today. Blue Zones will then create a customized transformation plan that, once implemented, can drive widespread improvements in well-being, reductions in healthcare costs, and improve economic vitality in the region.
As part of the project, the Blue Zones team will be in Tyler for an in-person visit to tour the city, meet community members, and kick off the initiative. Health Foundation of East Texas will host a Blue Zones Keynote at the Tyler Rose Garden Center (420 Rose Park Drive, Tyler, TX 75702) on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, offering residents and leaders a first-hand look at the project and an opportunity to get involved.
Registration and full event details are available here. Blue Zones uses an evidence-based, environmental approach to making healthy choices easier in the places where people spend the most time. Blue Zones will work with community leaders to conduct an in-depth readiness and feasibility assessment to determine how to make it a healthier place to live, work, and thrive. Together with the community, the Blue Zones team will assess readiness and build a plan for change.
The Blue Zones Approach
Blue Zones employs a proven solution in collaboration with communities to help people live better and longer lives. The company’s work is based on research and principles developed by National Geographic Fellow and New York Times bestselling author Dan Buettner, who identified the cultures of the world – or blue zones – with the healthiest, longest-living populations.
The Blue Zones approach focuses on the largest determinant of health: the environment in which we live. Instead of focusing solely on individual behavior change, Blue Zones helps communities make permanent and semi-permanent changes to policies, systems, streets, surroundings, and social networks so it’s easier for residents to eat wisely, move naturally, and connect more with others as they move throughout their day. By improving the Life Radius®—the area close to home where most Americans spend 90% of their lives—Blue Zones transformations have been able to move the needle dramatically in improving overall population health and well-being. Participating communities have seen double-digit drops in obesity and smoking rates, economic investment in downtown corridors, grant funding awards to support policies and programs to improve health equity, and measurable savings in healthcare costs.
Ben Leedle, CEO of Blue Zones and Co-founder of Blue Zones Project, said: “Tyler is a community with strong roots and a deep commitment to working together for a better future. That spirit makes it an ideal partner for a Blue Zones transformation, and we’re honored to work with the Health Foundation of East Texas in creating a plan that strengthens well‑being and quality of life for everyone who calls Tyler home.”
The Blue Zones expert team will connect with Tyler and Smith County leaders and organizations to begin immediate work assessing the strengths, needs, and challenges that residents are facing today. Blue Zones will create a comprehensive transformation plan that, once implemented, will drive widespread improvements in well-being and quality of life, and have a positive economic impact.
About Blue Zones
Blue Zones employs evidence-based ways to help people live better, longer. The company’s work is rooted in explorations and research done by founder and National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner in blue zones regions around the world, where people live extraordinarily long and/or happy lives. The original research and findings were released in Buettner’s bestselling books The Blue Zones Solution, The Blue Zones of Happiness, The Blue Zones, Thrive, and Blue Zones Kitchen, Blue Zones Challenge, Blue Zones American Kitchen, and Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer — all published by National Geographic books. A hit docuseries, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, was released on Netflix in 2023. Using original Blue Zones research, Blue Zones works with cities, counties, and organizations to make healthy choices easier through permanent and semi-permanent changes to our human-made surroundings. Participating communities have experienced double-digit drops in obesity and tobacco use and have saved millions of dollars in healthcare costs. For more information, visit www.bluezones.com.
About Health Foundation of East Texas
Health Foundation of East Texas is rooted in the belief that early action drives long-term, transformational change. Our focus is on improving youth resilience and fostering a thriving community for generations to come.
To do this we combine strategic grant-making and on-the-ground, iterative work to address the causes of health challenges rather than their symptoms. By uniting key community stakeholders, we co-create solutions that empower future East Texans to thrive mentally and physically. Like the East Texas Piney Woods that surround us, we show that lasting change grows from strong roots.
Contacts:
Blue Zones
Naomi Imatome-Yun
naomi@bluezones.com
Health Foundation of East Texas
Christi Khalaf, Director of Community Collaborations
Christi@healthfoundationet.org
Cision
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