National Park Prescription Day is April 24

Date: April 21, 2016
Contact: George Price, Superintendent, 508-957-0739

Since 2011 the National Park Service has been working with physicians to promote parks as places where patients can walk to improve cardiac health.The Healthy Parks, Healthy People initiative has been a successful way to introduce visitors to the outdoors and to experience natural and cultural wonders of our nation's parks, while becoming healthier as they do so.

Park Prescription Day envisions physicians prescribing a patient to walk a certain distance, or time, or from one park feature to another. At Cape Cod National Seashore, staff recommend walking the 1.3 mile Nauset Marsh Trail, or one of the many other trails or beaches, or taking part in a ranger-guided programs to get outside and get fit. 

Park Prescription Day is a perfect connection to the Healthy Parks, Healthy People partnership program with between the national seashore and Cape Cod Healthcare that was initiated in 2015. During the second year of the partnership other activities are planned for the summer. For more information on Healthy Parks, Healthy People at Cape Cod National Seashore visit www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/healthy-parks-healthy-people.htm