Adventist Health, a 23-hospital health system based in Roseville, Calif., is creating a division to promote community well-being, the organization announced in an Oct. 20 news release.
The nonprofit organization said the creation of the division started in April when it acquired Blue Zones, a company that aims to help communities better manage people's health, and appointed Ben Leedle, Blue Zones CEO, as division president. In October, Blue Zones and Adventist Health began their first partnership Blue Zones Project, a community-led well-being initiative, in Walla Walla, Wash.
The division launch comes as Adventist Health moves forward with its 2030 strategic plan, which is focused on transitioning from a solely hospital-centered organization to a health company.
"This is the idea of moving from whole person — physical, mental, spiritual, social care of an individual — to individual and community well-being," Adventist Health CEO Scott Reiner, RN, explained in an Aug. 31 interview with Becker's. "We're excited about this work. It's going to be very transformative. It's going to take new kinds of jobs. It's going to take new kinds of talent. It's going to take very innovative leaders."
Adventist Health said the well-being division will identify and affect causes of well-being, as well as address needs of individuals, communities and organizations. The division also aims to address well-being dimensions such as health, sense of purpose, security and prosperity, with the ultimate goal of improving health and reducing healthcare costs.
Learn more about the division here.