Central Florida Business Leaders Inspired to Live Healthier Lives

Central Florida Business Leaders Inspired to Live Healthier Lives and Create Wellness Cultures in Their Organizations

Florida Hospital hosts "Blue Zones" author, Dan Buettner, to share insights on world's longest-living populations

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 24, 2009 - As a leading health care organization in the Orlando area, Florida Hospital not only wants to be identified as a place to seek medical attention, but would also like to start a movement to encourage the Central Florida community to live longer, healthier lives.

"We are currently in the formative stages of implementing this initiative, and are looking to our employees and community leaders to help us engineer cultures of health throughout all of our hospitals and beyond," said Sheryl Dodds, Florida Hospital Chief People Officer. "We would like to be seen as a hospital in sickness and     in health."

Florida Hospital believes it is time to encourage its 16,000 employees and the entire community to make drastic lifestyle changes and join on a journey called Healthy 100. Florida Hospital invited all of Central Florida's top business, government and economic leaders to a luncheon to leverage their ideas and expertise in order to help shape this community-wide initiative.

Today, more than 200 influencers gathered at Florida Hospital to learn more about how to live longer and healthier lives from world-renowned author and researcher, Dan Buettner. No one knows how long they will live, but there are geographic areas across the globe where residents statistically live longer than others. It is common for these people to live to be 100 years old. Buettner's research indicates that their healthy lifestyles contribute significantly to their longevity. That is basis for his book, Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest.

 "If you want to create an environment of longevity, you need to create that environment throughout a city," said Dan Buettner. "Getting community leaders involved is a big part of that."

Buettner has presented his findings on Oprah and every national television network in the U.S. Now, he is challenging the boards of directors of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Central Florida Partnership, Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, myregion.org and other key Central Florida organizations to take action. At the luncheon, these leaders heard more about how they can support the community and their employees on a journey to living healthier lifestyles.

"Many people spend the majority of their active hours at work," said Ray Gilley, president and CEO of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. "Encouraging a healthy environment in the workplace will have an impact on health practices within the home as well." 

The metro Orlando area is facing an uphill battle in regards to improving the area's health. The 2009 Community Health Survey revealed that 64.5% of metro Orlando residents report they are overweight, and a look back in history shows an increase. The number of Central Floridians who say they are overweight has risen by more than 10% over the past 10 years. Being overweight or obese can lead to a wide variety of medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which can limit life expectancy. A community-wide effort, like Healthy 100, is necessary to change these trends, and that is why Florida Hospital is encouraging business leaders to start now by helping their employees make healthier choices. 

For more information, contact Florida Hospital Media Relations at 407-303-8217.

About Dan Buettner:
Dan Buettner is the New York Times best-selling author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest. Buettner is an internationally recognized explorer who founded Blue Zones, a project that researches the world's best practices in health, happiness and longevity and shares that information to help people live longer.  Since January 2009, Dan has led the successful project in Albert Lea, Minn. to implement community and social changes that improve quality of life and add at least two years to life expectancy to each resident's life.  The article Buettner wrote for National Geographic Magazine in November 2005, Secrets of Living Longer, was the third highest selling issue in the magazines history and made Buettner a National Magazine Award finalist. Buettner has appeared as a longevity expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, ABC World News, CBS's The Early Show, the Dr. Oz Show and CNN.  He is also a member of Cooking Light magazine's Advisory Board. 

###