MASON CITY — Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa and the Mason City Family YMCA are the latest Mason City workplaces to be designated Blue Zones Certified Worksites, officials of the Mason City
Blue Zones Project announced Monday.
A ribbon-cutting event for Mercy-North Iowa will be at 10 a.m. Friday, April 26, in the East Campus south lobby. As Mason City’s largest employer, its designation is a key component in the city’s overall success in being certified as a Blue Zones community, said Ellen Kehr, Blue Zones organization lead.
More than 400 Mercy employees registered in the Blue Zones Project, Kehr said.
The Mason City Family YMCA will have its presentation at its monthly board meeting Tuesday, April 23.
“By completing the designation process, these employers have demonstrated their commitment to support their employees and their families in feeling their best so they can perform at their best,” Kehr said.
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Other Mason City workplaces that have also been designated Blue Zones worksites are: Henkel Construction, North Iowa Area Community College, Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health, the Principal Financial Group, First Citizens National Bank, Culligan Water, Community National Bank, Hy-Vee East, Hy-Vee West, North Iowa Community Credit Union and Metalcraft, Inc.
To achieve its goal of becoming a Blue Zones Community, Mason City needs to achieve Blue Zones Worksite certification for at least 50 percent of its top 20 employers, 25 percent of independently or locally owned restaurants, 25 percent of grocery stores and 25 percent of public schools.
The Blue Zones Project is based on Blue Zones principles developed by Dan Buettner and is the centerpiece of the Healthiest State Initiative to make Iowa the healthiest state by 2016.
Mason City was named a Blue Zones Project Demonstration Site in May 2012.
