Community leaders to identify major health issues Thursday

The Blue Zone Power 9 Board of Directors will host a community forum called the CR Blue Zone Check-Up on Thursday, February 2, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., in ballrooms D, E and F at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Boulevard SW. The first 100 attendees will receive a free copy of “The Blue Zones” book.

The purpose of the forum is to identify the major health issues facing the Cedar Rapids and Linn County community. Plus Dan Buettner, author of “The Blue Zones,” will make a special appearance to present information about his research and discuss possible solutions to the health issues.

During the first hour of the CR Blue Zone Check-Up event, Stephanie Neff, Interim Director of Linn County Public Health; Tim Charles, CEO of Mercy Medical Center; Dr. James Levett, Chief Medical Officer of Physicians' Clinic of Iowa; and Ted Townsend, CEO of St. Luke's Hospital will discuss the most prevalent health issues facing our community. Pat Baird, retired CEO of AEGON, will moderate the discussion. Attendees will be invited to share their observations and join the discussion.

During the second hour of the event, Dan Buettner, a National Geographic researcher, will present information about the places in the world where people live healthy, happy lives well into their nineties or even 100s, which he calls Blue Zones.

Learn more about Buettner and the City's application to become a Blue Zone Community.