Last updated: March 2, 2022
Article
Tucson ParkRx: Shaping the Health of a City
By Kendra Barat
A Movement
Amazing things can happen in a year. An idea can become a project. The project can become a program, and that program can become a movement. In Tucson, Arizona, the Park Prescription, “ParkRx,” project has quickly become an established program, backed by strong advocates who believe in the immense powers of parks and nature to improve physical, mental and social health.
Developing a Solution
In October 2017, the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program partnered with Beyond-Tucson, a nonprofit organization, to address a public health crisis emerging in Arizona’s second largest city. Beyond-Tucson, also referred to as “Beyond,” has a mission to foster healthy lifestyles among residents of Tucson through a stronger connection with nature, regular physical activity, nutrition and a sense of connection with the community.
A 2015 community health needs assessment for Pima County, of which Tucson is a part of, indicated that anxiety and depression were among the top health concerns for county residents.
"Park prescriptions can prevent, as well as treat, many chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, substance abuse and mental health conditions.” – Dr. Richard Wahl, professor of pediatric medicine at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine
Together, Beyond and the National Park Service felt they were ideally positioned to assist in developing a solution. “No need to reinvent the wheel,” said Diego Martinez-Barrera, Beyond’s community engagement coordinator.
In 2017, National Park Service project specialist Laura Bolyard and urban fellow Diana Rhoades identified the Healthy Parks
Healthy People movement and its ParkRx program as an ideal project to launch in Tucson.
Bolyard and Rhoades worked to identify grant opportunities and formed a collaborative group of interested partners including the City of Tucson, Beyond, El Rio Community Health, Saguaro National Park and other community members.
The group applied for several different grants, and their idea to develop a network of outdoor opportunities along with methods for health professionals to “prescribe” them was funded by the Community Forests grant from the Arizona Department of Forestry.
Once funded, the National Park Service facilitated the collaborative group in developing a suite of programming opportunities. Applying lessons learned from other ParkRx programs across the country, Tucson’s outdoor activities included a regular group leader and met at the same place and time weekly or monthly. Informational sessions were held at El Rio Community Health center and the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine to introduce healthcare professionals to the benefits of park prescriptions and recreation opportunities available for their patients.
Valerie Seeton, a Saguaro National Park fellow and ParkRx coordinator, established community partnerships with medical practitioners and managers of outdoor spaces. She also developed advertising tools and assisted Beyond in creating weekly and monthly programs.
Beyond collaborated with Saguaro National Park and local organizations such as a farmer’s market, historic garden, farm and the neighborhood zoo to lead walks and hold conversations at each.
With managerial and technical support from Bolyard and Seeton, Beyond began planning and hosting ParkRx events this past summer. Striving for consistency and accessibility, the organization held free monthly full moon hikes and summer morning hikes.
“I love doing it with my son, my mom... it gives us the opportunity to do more than we normally could in the city,” said Tabitha Lavalley, a regular at Beyond’s ParkRx events.
Lavalley said that they would not be able to visit parks and other outdoor spaces without the transportation provided through the organized events.
Seeton believes these events empower residents to discover and enjoy the natural resources they have at their fingertips. She said that residents might not opt to explore the outdoors as much because they don’t “know where to go or what to do... ParkRx is kind of a liaison to getting [residents] outside and feeling comfortable there.”
Connecting with Medical Practitioners
The Tucson ParkRx program gained significant momentum through connections with and support from pediatric practitioners.
“Kids need unstructured free time,” said Dr. Richard Wahl, a professor of pediatric medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and attending physician at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson.
Dr. Wahl, who wrote Tucson’s very first park prescription, is an avid champion of prescribing parks and nature to children and youth. He argues that park prescriptions can prevent and treat chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, substance abuse and mental health disorders.
Dr. Shanti Bhatia, a second year pediatric resident working and studying under Dr. Wahl, became interested in the ParkRx concept after attending a resident training session by Bolyard and Seeton.
Within a few months, Dr. Bhatia chose to study ParkRx as her clinical project.
With help from the National Park Service, Beyond and Friends of Saguaro National Park, Dr. Bhatia created fliers for city ParkRx events and provided prescriptions for outdoor activities that doctors can distribute among their patients.
Dr. Bhatia primarily provides prescriptions to children and includes their parents or guardians into the process.
“It has to be a family-focused intervention...a lifestyle
intervention,” said Dr. Wahl, stressing the crucial influence parents’ health behaviors have on their kids, given that most chronic illnesses are developed in adolescence.
“I’m hopeful that this might have a really positive impact at least in the Tucson community to help make kids healthier and get out more,” said Dr. Bhatia, who plans to permanently incorporate the
ParkRx practice into the University of Arizona College of Medicine’s pediatric residency program.
on National ParkRx Day in April 2018 in El Pueblo Neighborhood Park. Photo courtesy of Kendra Barat, National Park Service.
According to Bolyard, the program continues to change and adapt to the needs of Tucson’s constituents. It plans to identify opportunities for linking to additional existing guided programs and encourage healthcare professionals to participate in ParkRx events.
As of Aug. 2018, nearly 30 pediatric physicians in Tucson prescribed parks to their patients, writing more than 200 prescriptions since the start of Dr. Bhatia’s clinical project.
“It’s not something mainstream for them yet. It’s something different and they’re trying to figure out how it fits in to what they’re doing,” Bolyard said.
Beyond hopes to incorporate nutrition education into their ParkRx programming through partnerships with farmer’s markets and engaging with other local organizations such as Tucson Village Farms and Mission Gardens.
According to many program organizers and stakeholders, Tucson is an ideal place to build a strong ParkRx movement.
“It’s more than just our program,” said Seeton. “People now can feel comfortable going back [to a park] because they have that experience to realize it’s not so scary to go outside.”
Seeton and Bolyard hope that Tucson residents who participate in ParkRx events are empowered to take a more active role in their health and track their progress as they engage in more outdoor recreation activities.