ParkRx Day

Celebrate ParkRx Day with us on April 17, 2021!

NPS Photo

Join Us to enjoy the healing power of nature!

During National Park Week, give yourself the gift of good health by finding wellness in nature on International Park Prescription (ParkRx) Day on Saturday, April 17, 2021.

This year we invite you to experience wellness in nature and become a Park Health Ambassador!

Looking for a way to reset and recharge? You are invited you to join us on this special day celebrated across the United States and internationally to promote the growing movement of healthcare providers referring patients to parks to improve their health and wellbeing.

This year ParkRx Day is a fee-free day in US National Parks so everyone can get out and enjoy the health benefits of the great outdoors.

Get your dose of nature at home, in the neighborhood, a nearby park or trail, or virtually. Then share your experience on social media using #PowerOfParksForHealth and #BeforeAndAfterParkRx and you may be featured in our official National Park Service #BeforeandAfterParkRx photo gallery!

Don't forget to RSVP for the International ParkRx Day virtual celebration so we know who's joining in! All RSVPs will be featured on our ParkRx Day celebration map.

 

Reasons to connect with nature on ParkRx Day:

• Contact with nature improves your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
• Getting outdoors can make getting exercise more fun, can boost your mood and your immunity, and combat obesity.
• For children, getting outdoors foster active play, which is associated with physical, cognitive, and social benefits.
• For adolescents, getting outdoors improve mental and social health during what is often a challenging time of life.
• Getting outdoors is also linked to physical and mental health benefits, overall quality of life among adults, especially older adults.
• Nature’s health benefits can be enjoyed by simply viewing a tree from your window.

How to join in this year's virtual ParkRx Day:

Celebrate ways that nature promotes your physical and mental health, and boosts immunity. Enjoy nature from your own backyard, your neighborhood, a nearby park or trail and virtually.

Find wellness in nature—wherever you are and become a Park Health Ambassador!

Then be sure to share your experience on social media using these hashtags:

#ParkRx
#BeforeAndAfterParkRx
#IMAParkHealthAmbassador
#NatureForAll
#HealthForAll
#ThankYouHealthcareHeroes

How to start a formal ParkRx program in your community

Park Prescriptions have been identified by the NPS as a Healthy Parks Healthy People promising practice for expansion nationally.

Check out ParkRx.org, for read case studies and tools developed in consultation with physicians and health care providers for creating a formal park prescriptions (ParkRx) program in your community.

 

Evidence Linking Parks & Health

We have compiled a short bibliography on growing body of scientific evidence that demonstrates how parks are a health resource for people and the planet. Check out our Healthy Parks Healthy People Resources Page to learn more about how parks promote health.