ThriveOBX™, a community initiative designed to inspire well-being and longevity created by Outer Banks Health and Dare County Department of Health & Human Services, launches its website, www.ThriveOBX.com, and declares February 2026 as the first Thrive Month. This month-long program encourages individuals of all ages and backgrounds to explore well-being through trusted guidance, practical tools, engaging programs, and strategic partnerships rooted in the Thrive5©, five pillars of well-being developed by local health experts.
Research shows that longevity is influenced 10% by access to healthcare, 30% by genetics and 60% by the lifestyle choices we make every day, meaning we hold significant control over the quality of our lives. ThriveOBX™ aims to build a community where well-being is shared, supported and woven into everyday life, while inspiring individuals to identify realistic adjustments that can lead to a longer, healthier and happier life. Thrive Month sparks this community focus by making the well-being journey approachable, accessible and enjoyable. Thrive Month encourages participants to try new habits, discover what energizes them, learn more about well-being from health experts and build momentum toward a community that embraces living well—a community that prioritizes the 60%.
Central to Thrive Month is the Playbook, a comprehensive guide that provides step-by-step instructions, details and all 25 activities. Included in the Playbook is the High Five and Thrive Tracker, an essential tool for participants to track engagement with a symbolic “high five” to mark activities as complete. The Playbook offers three ways to play and win prizes. Participate in any of the three levels: Thrive À La Carte (pick any five activities in any pillar), Thrive Sampler (pick any five activities—one from each pillar) and Thrive Champion (participate in all five activities in all five pillars for a total of 25 activities). Prize redemption information will be emailed to participants at the end of the month.
The Playbook is available for $10 at www.ThriveOBX.com/ThriveMonth and at select pop-up locations across Dare County. All Playbook proceeds and ThriveOBX™ donations support the ThriveOBX™ Well-Being Grant Program, which will provide funding for local organizations to increase health and well-being within their place of work and in the community. This new grant program is in development and more information will be released in the spring of 2026.
ThriveOBX™ also introduces Thrive Hives, individual-led groups that encourage connection around shared interests and are listed on the ThriveOBX™ website. Thrive Hives can focus on any Thrive5© pillar of well-being—Move, Nourish, Purpose, Engage, Balance—and are open to anyone who contacts the host. New Hives are encouraged, with club ideas ranging from astronomy, gardening, and cooking clubs to book clubs, sports and volunteer groups. Current clubs that would like to be listed on the ThriveOBX™ website as a Thrive Hive are welcome to submit a request via the ThriveOBX™ website.
Examples of potential Thrive Hives include:
-Astronomy Club
-Beekeeping Club
-Birdwatching Club
-Book Club
-Boating Club
-Car Club
-Cat Lovers Club
-Cooking & Baking Club
-Cultural Heritage Club
-Dog Lovers Club
-Drone Club
-Fishing Club
-Foreign Language Learning Club
-Gardening Club
-Knitting Club
-Men’s Walking Club
-Movie Club
-Painting Club
-Photography Club
-Poetry & Writing Club
-Pickleball Club
-Robotics or Technology Club
-Running Club
-Sewing Club
-Soccer Club
-Surfing Club
-Tennis Club
-Theater Club
-Unique Pets Club
-Volleyball Club
-Volunteer or Community Service Club
-Weather Club
-Weightlifting Club
-Woodworking Club
Thrive Month is just the beginning of this long-term well-being movement on the Outer Banks. Everyone is invited to participate, no matter age, background or skill level. For more information and to get started, visit www.ThriveOBX.com.
Pictured: The front cover of the Playbook.
About Outer Banks Health
Outer Banks Health is a growing health system that provides a range of health and wellness services for our community. Designed especially to meet the health needs of our coastal community, whose year-round population of 35,000 swells to over 250,000 in the summer season, we’re first in the state for patient satisfaction, first in the nation to pilot groundbreaking rural health cancer programs, and the very first to be designated a Dementia Friendly Hospital. We work with our partners, ECU Health and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, along with other health organizations throughout North Carolina and Virginia, to help our residents and visitors access the best possible care for their diagnosis. Many times we deliver that care right here, close to home.
