June 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 51

park is likely the single best thing you
can do for your short- and long-term
mental and physical health. "
Dr. Lourdes Forster, MD, FAAP, an
associate professor of pediatrics and
the medical director at UHealth Pediatrics at the Miller School of Medicine,
University of Miami, was introduced
to parks at a young age. " My parents
emigrated from Cuba to Miami in the
1960s, " says Dr. Forster. " I was one
of five kids, and I loved to play and
be outside. Parks are where I went in
the summer. " Today, Dr. Forster is
excited to take what she experienced
as a child and incorporate that into
her profession. She works with Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation
and Open Spaces Department on a
park prescriptions program that prescribes wellness to children using the
department's Fit2Play™ afterschool
program. " For my kids - some affluent, some poor - it's all the same for
them at the park. It allows me to give
them an opportunity to improve their
health without feeling like there's no
way to do it. "
Joyce Blair Wilson, a family nurse
practitioner and certified diabetes educator, came to Sandpoint, Idaho, to
make a difference. She works with the
Kaniksu Land Trust in north Idaho
and northwest Montana on the " RX
Parks and Trails " program and was
thrilled to discover all the parks and
trails available in the area. " Being
part of this program has enhanced
my knowledge of nature, " she says.
" As a result of this program, my patients are visiting parks more! " Wilson helps her patients experience nature and become healthier by walking
with 15 to 20 of them every Sunday.
" Even during inclement weather, my
patients prefer being outdoors rather
than in an indoor, warm pool. "
" Parks Are a Resource to Us "
Agencies can enhance a provider's abil

Agencies can enhance
a provider's ability to
refer his or her patients
to parks in a number of
ways.
ity to refer his or her patients to parks
in a number of ways. Providers note
that patients often do not associate
neighborhood parks as a place of wellness, so more education on the health
benefits of parks is needed. There is
also a need for parks to help patients
understand they have resources in
their neighborhood. As a result of the
RX Parks and Trails program, Wilson
was pleased to be more well-informed
about what her neighborhood has to
offer. " Both my patients and I had no
idea that there were so many parks and
trails in the area, " she says. " I've lived
here eight years and had never heard of
our local park. "
Safety is also of utmost importance.
" A few families don't feel safe in their

parks, " says Dr. Forster. " Some parks
do not provide a welcoming environment, and we still struggle with finding the right match for patients. " This
barrier falls on the agency to ensure
that communities feel safe when accessing its facilities. " The challenge
is improving the environment that we
have for families. This is no small task.
The trail may not be clear. Kids may
be exposed to old equipment. This is
hard for practitioners to know. As a
physician, I need to feel secure that
the program I'm sending my patients
to is meeting their needs in a safe way
that they'll want to continue. "
In addition to safety, agencies can
help ensure a more supportive environment, for example, as patients
walk in the park. " One of our parks
locks its bathrooms in the winter, "
Wilson says. " This is a constant complaint I get from patients. " Ensuring facilities are user-friendly, such
as clearing the trails from branches
overhead or ensuring there are benches along the walking paths, will motivate patients to keep coming back.
" This is really important for my older
patients, " Wilson continues. " This is

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Parks & Recreation

June 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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