By Kendra Santiago, PR & Marketing Manager for Blue Zones Project – Klamath Falls
Did you know Blue Zones Project, the Healthy Klamath Coalition, and community volunteers picked up over 16,000 cigarette butts last year?
Over the course of 2019, our Tobacco Committee coordinated 3 litter clean-ups around the community– in downtown Klamath Falls, the area around Sky Lakes Medical Center on Campus Drive, and along East Main and Mills Elementary.
Our first two litter cleanups in 2020 were scheduled to happen in April, but due to best practices during COVID-19, we’ve decided it’s best to postpone the events. That being said, we’d still like to increase community awareness around tobacco litter, which is the number one littered item around the globe, and tobacco-use.
In recent news, you’ve probably heard the phrase “at-risk populations” or reference made to people with “underlying conditions” being at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19. In general, these terms are referring to people who may have health criteria that put them at greater risk of having poorer health outcomes if they get sick.
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control, smoking (and being a prior smoker) falls into the criteria of increasing your risk for an adverse outcome should you contract COVID-The good news is, if you are a smoker, there are great resources and tools to help you quit. Check out the list that Sky Lakes Medical Center provided, which we posted to www.HealthyKlamath.org/ReadySetQuit.
We encourage everyone to use the #StayHomeSaveLives order as an opportunity to put healthier habits into practice. Push the re-set button, brake old habits, learn a new skill, and reprioritize health and loved ones. If you’re passionate about giving back to your community, or you’re going a little stir-crazy, consider donning a pair of rubber gloves and picking up litter in your neighborhood while practicing proper hand-hygiene and social distancing.
Share what you’re doing to stay well by emailing us at BlueZonesProject@HealthyKlamath.org or message us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/bluezonesprojectklamathfalls.
About Blue Zones Project
Blue Zones Project® is a community-led well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to a city’s environment, policy, and social networks. Established in 2010, Blue Zones Project is based on research by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author who identified five cultures of the world—or blue zones—with the highest concentration of people living to 100 years or older. Blue Zones Project incorporates Buettner’s findings and works with cities to implement policies and programs that will move a community toward optimal health and well-being. Currently, 50 communities across North America have joined the Blue Zones Project, impacting more than 3.4 million citizens. The population health solution includes two Health Districts in California; 15 cities in Iowa; Albert Lea, Minnesota; the city of Fort Worth, Texas; Corry, Pennsylvania; Airdrie, Alberta; Brevard, North Carolina; and communities in Southwest Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Blue Zones Project is a
partnership between Blue Zones, LLC, and Sharecare, Inc. For more information, visit bluezonesproject.com.
Klamath Falls is Oregon’s first Blue Zones Project Demonstration Community. To learn more about Blue Zones Project, contact the Blue Zones Project team in Klamath Falls at BlueZonesProject@healthyklamath.org, or visit www.healthyklamath.org/bluezones.
Check out more great Health Content at on our Basinlife.com HEALTHCARE Page!