Health Foundation of East Texas Launches Blue Zones Project to Help Tyler Residents Live Better and Longer

The Health Foundation of East Texas has launched the Blue Zones Project in Tyler to improve residents' well-being, health, and quality of life.

TYLER, TX, UNITED STATES, October 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Health Foundation of East Texas just launched Blue Zones Project^® to improve well-being, health, and happiness in Tyler. Blue Zones Project is a comprehensive initiative that helps communities transform their environments to support healthy lifestyles and to measurably improve community well-being, resilience, and economic vitality. Blue Zones Project is a first-of-its-kind population health initiative based on research and principles developed by Dan Buettner, Blue Zones founder and National Geographic Fellow and Explorer who identified the cultures of the world—or blue zones—with the healthiest, longest-living populations.

"We are thrilled to partner with Blue Zones as we work together to create healthier, more connected communities. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to helping individuals and families thrive, and we are excited about the lasting impact we can achieve together,” said Smittee Root, Executive Director of the Health Foundation of East Texas.

Research shows that where people live has a bigger influence on their health than their genetics, so Blue Zones Project focuses on the Life Radius^®—the area close to home where people spend 90% of their lives. Blue Zones Project communities optimize public policies, social connections, and the places and spaces where people spend the most time (streets, parks, schools, workplaces, grocery stores, faith communities, homes) to help make healthy choices easy and more accessible to all. 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, among other positive outcomes.

“Partnering with the Health Foundation of East Texas—with their experience bringing together public and private organizations in the region—will give Blue Zones Project a powerful foundation. We’re honored to partner with the community to launch this next chapter for East Texas,” said Danny Buettner, Jr., Blue Zones Chief Development Officer.

“When we talk about quality of life, this is part of it,” said Mayor Stuart Hene. “It isn’t just about how do we maintain the quality of life Tyler residents expect and deserve, but how do we improve our quality of life and really create an opportunity for a lasting impact. How do we build on the parks, neighborhoods, gathering places, and programs we already have and make them even better places and opportunities for people to spend time, connect, be active, and ultimately improve their quality of life? Blue Zones Project gives us a chance to look at those opportunities together and find practical ways to help people live healthier lives right here in Tyler.”

The launch of Blue Zones Project represents the beginning of a multi-year collaborative effort that involves the entire community working together toward one common goal – to support and build a culture of community health and well-being. We are actively hiring full-time staff locally – learn more here.

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, Blue Zones Kitchen, Blue Zones Challenge, Blue Zones American Kitchen, and Secrets of the Blue Zones—all published by National Geographic books. An Emmy Award-winning 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 and counties 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 bluezones.com.

About the Health Foundation of East Texas
The Health Foundation of East Texas is a private foundation that invests in solutions, initiatives, and partnerships that significantly improve community health and well-being in Smith County and surrounding communities. For more information about the Health Foundation of East Texas, please visit healthfoundationet.org.

Naomi Imatome Yun
Blue Zones
+1 917-952-8534
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