Fort Worth invested to help residents get healthier. Here’s how it’s paying off
One of the most profound things any city can do to promote economic vitality is to focus on community well-being. A healthy city is a prosperous city.
The job goes far beyond the walls of city hall and requires individuals and organizations throughout a community to get involved. Fort Worth has done that in ways that only a city as great as ours can: by working together.
Every corner of our community has contributed to a remarkable improvement in the overall well-being of residents in recent years. Better still, Fort Worth is sustaining extraordinary gains reported in 2018 — despite a nationwide pandemic and ongoing challenges.
We know there is no finish line in this race. There will always be underserved populations to protect, infrastructure to improve and businesses to support. Work must and will continue, but for a moment, let us celebrate the wins.
In 2014, the Gallup Well-Being Index reported Fort Worth near the bottom in a ranking of large metro areas — 185th out of 190. It was not our proudest moment, but when the going gets tough, Texans get going. Fort Worth made significant investments in community health and well-being initiatives, including the launch of the Blue Zones Project.
Brought to Fort Worth by Texas Health Resources and supported by the city and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the Blue Zones Project introduced best practices from areas of the world where people live the longest, with the least incidence of chronic disease. The goal: make healthy choices easier, citywide.
Blue Zones engaged with worksites, schools, restaurants, grocery stores and faith-based communities. It has partnered with more than 500 organizations to date. It also helped city leaders implement policy changes designed to increase access to healthy foods, reduce tobacco use and support our Active Transportation Plan — a master plan to create a more walkable, bikeable community.
That hard work paid off, in a big way. In 2018, Fort Worth was named the nation’s largest certified Blue Zones Community in a process that rigorously measured improvements in health and well-being. That same year, Fort Worth’s Well-Being Index score rose nearly four points, and the city’s nationwide ranking went from 185th to tied for 31st place.
But is it sustainable? If we remain committed to the fight, the answer appears to be yes.
In 2020, in another Gallup survey, Fort Worth’s scores continued to improve. Overall, since 2014, the city’s obesity rate held steady even as the rate climbed nationally. Smoking declined by 23%, and the number of people suffering from high blood pressure and high cholesterol continued to drop. Fort Worth also saw a 15% increase in exercise and a rise in individuals reporting that they bike or walk for daily activities.
Blue Zones Project, under the direction of Texas Health Resources, continues to partner with businesses, grocers, faith communities and individuals — with a strong focus on making healthy options more accessible and affordable for people most in need. Those efforts include healthy food pantries in neighborhood schools and programs such as Double Up Food Bucks that give participants in state/federal nutrition assistance programs the ability to put more fresh produce on the table.
This city has proved willing to take on challenges that others never even attempt to tackle. We have the will and the collective power to succeed in our ultimate mission: to make this the healthiest city in the nation.
Let’s keep up the good work, Fort Worth.
Betsy Price is mayor of Fort Worth. Barclay Berdan is chief executive officer of Texas Health Resources.
