Park Rx
Park Rx is a public health initiative that promotes healthy communities. Park Rx is a program under the National Park Service's Healthy Parks Healthy People US initiative which is a global movement to harness the power of parks and public lands in contributing to a healthy civil society. This initiative is comprised of several partnerships coming together to help improve the health and wellness of patients through nature.
Park Rx provides a unique patient-provider relationship where providers prescribe nature as a means to develop an exercise routine and use their neighborhood parks to do fun physical activities. The providers determine follow ups, referrals, and treatment plans for patients; the patients receive a copy of the prescribed park and activity. Park Rx is an additional tool in the providers' toolboxes used to combat chronic disease and mental health diagnoses.
In Tucson, Tucson Parks and Recreation, the National Parks Service, and other park agencies give providers locations for park prescriptions as well as resource information such as park location, amentities, level of activity, and events. Local non-profits, fitness coaches, and trainers host physical activities and events at those locations.
Park Rx in City of Tucson Parks
The City of Tucson offers Park Rx routes in the following parks: