Oregon — October 7, 2015 — Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY) today announced that a veteran community health improvement leader will lead the transformation of Oregon through Blue Zones Project®. Aaron Patnode, a former Executive Director for Cover Oregon, will be the Executive Director for the Blue Zones Project, Oregon initiative. Patnode will be responsible for the rollout and implementation of Blue Zones Project in the state.
“It’s an exciting time for promoting healthy lifestyles in the state of Oregon. It’s time to further focus our efforts on ensuring that residents and the places where they live, work and play are set up to encourage and enable healthy behaviors. Many community leaders and engaged citizens are working on multiple projects and initiatives to bring positive change and improved well-being to our communities,” said Patnode. “I am honored to lead a skilled team that supports Blue Zones Project in our state.”
Patnode has called Oregon home since 2009, and brings more than 10 years of relevant work experience to this position. Most recently, Patnode served as the Executive Director of Cover Oregon, Oregon's health insurance marketplace. Prior to this position, Patnode worked for five years at Kaiser Permanente Northwest, where he started as an Administrative Fellow and ultimately developed into a strategic leader for the organization. Most notably during that time, Patnode was responsible for leading the implementation of the Affordable Care Act provisions for Kaiser Permanente, as well as developing and executing plans to expand the service area of the northwest region.
Patnode has master’s degrees in both Healthcare Administration and Business, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Boston College. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Hemophilia Foundation of Oregon and has served on both the University of Minnesota Master of Health Care Administration, or MHA, Alumni Board of Directors and the University of Minnesota MHA Scholarship and Philanthropy committee.
“Aaron has demonstrated depth and breadth of professional experience in improving community well-being, and it’s an honor to have him lead the Blue Zones Project, Oregon team,” said Katrina Worlund, Healthways senior vice president, Blue Zones Project.
Blue Zones Project is brought to Oregon through leadership funding by Cambia Health Foundation to support Oregon Healthiest State, in collaboration with Healthways and Blue Zones, LLC. Blue Zones Project is a community-by-community initiative designed to enable community members to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life.
The state is receiving support from national experts to implement a comprehensive, evidence-based plan for improving community well-being. Based on principles developed by Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author of “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest,” Blue Zones Project is designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to the built environment, policy and social networks.
To learn more about Blue Zones Project, visit www.bluezonesproject.com.
About Cambia Health Foundation
Cambia Health Foundation is the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions, a total health solutions company dedicated to transforming the way people experience the health care system. A 501(c)(3) grant-making organization, the Foundation invests and partners with organizations to advance palliative care quality, access and understanding; improve the behavioral health of underserved children; and transform health care to a more person-focused and economically sustainable system. Learn more at cambiahealthfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter.
About Healthways
Healthways (NASDAQ: HWAY) is the largest independent global provider of well-being improvement solutions. Dedicated to creating a healthier world one person at a time, the Company uses the science of behavior change to produce and measure positive change in well-being for our customers, which include employers, integrated health systems, hospitals, physicians, health plans, communities and government entities. We provide highly specific and personalized support for each individual and their team of experts to optimize each participant’s health and productivity and to reduce health-related costs. Results are achieved by addressing longitudinal health risks and care needs of everyone in a given population. The Company has scaled its proprietary technology infrastructure and delivery capabilities developed over 30 years and now serves approximately 68 million people on four continents. Learn more at www.healthways.com.
About Blue Zones
Blue Zones employs evidence-based ways to help people live longer, better. The Company's work is rooted in the New York Times best-selling books The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People, The Blue Zones and Thrive—all published by National Geographic books. Since 2009, Blue Zones has applied the tenets of the books to communities and corporations across the U.S. and has successfully raised life expectancy and lowered health care costs while bringing down smoking and obesity rates. Blue Zones takes a systematic, environmental approach to well-being, which focuses on optimizing policy, building design, social networks, and the built environment. The Blue Zones Project is based on this innovative approach. For more information, visit www.bluezones.com.
