Charles health officer pushes 'Blue Zones' designation

Charles County could begin the process of becoming a Blue Zone, which examines community health and strives to have citizens live longer.

“It’s about health, and anything that’s going to improve the health of Charles County is an interest to me,” Dr. Dianna Abney, health officer for the county, said at the June 25 commissioners' meeting. “A healthier Charles County is the vision of the health department.”

Abney told the commissioners that the county is “high on the list” for certain illnesses, like diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cardiovascular disease. The changes that Blue Zones encourage can help improve that, Abney said.

“If we do this community-wide transformation, not only will we help the people who are already adults, we’ll hopefully prevent some of the problems in children,” Abney said.

As of 2022, Charles County surpassed Prince George's County as the most affluent, majority-Black county in the U.S. But like its neighboring county, Charles has some of the poorest health outcomes in the state, highlighting the systemic racism that persists, a document given to the commissioners about the importance of establishing a Blue Zone says.

Moreover, due to its relatively small size, Charles County is often overlooked when it comes to resources and financial support despite it being the fourth fastest-growing county in the state, the document says.

“We’d be the first community in the state of Maryland to go through this transition,” Abney said. “We’d be eating more plant-based foods, we’d be doing more walking, and we’ve been talking for years about making Charles County a walkable community.”

Margaret Brown, vice president of business development for Blue Zones, said that their purpose is “to empower everyone, everywhere to live better, longer.”

In some communities across the United States, Blue Zones have seen decreases in smoking, childhood obesity and reduced medical claims costs, Brown’s presentation to the commissioners showed.

Blue Zones group seeks to do a readiness, feasibility and culture of change evaluation in the community, which would require $250,000 and be performed July 2024 to December 2024.

Abney said that the local health department would not be able to fund the whole $250,000, but she would seek assistance from county partners and see how much grant money she can leverage.

While the funding remains questionable, Abney said that she remains hopeful that Charles County will become a Blue Zone.

Any action on adoption would require future discussions with the commissioners.