June 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 52

PA R K S A R E T H E B E S T M E D I C I N E

not just an issue of awareness that the
park is there, but of getting people to
use the park. "
Healthcare providers also want
to learn about programs that work.
" Where we see things working really well is when the park has a
pre-established program that the
provider can plug into, " says Pere.
" The park could host a yoga day or
maybe have a walking club in place
that the physician can refer his or
her patients to. Even a pamphlet
or flyer that they can keep in their
office or a list of parks in the area
would help. " Dr. Forster agrees:
" As physicians, we are more receptive if you approach us with a
concise plan of action that has purposeful results. We are interested
in finding solutions to a sedentary
lifestyle, and if parks can come up
with programmatic options for us
and provide us with a schedule for
them, there is a higher likelihood
that we will adopt the plan and
send our patients there. In general,
doctors want something that's accessible and safe. I wouldn't want
to refer someone to a situation that
wasn't well-run or supervised. "

In all relationships,
trust is an important
factor, and providers are
looking to establish twoway communication that
includes feedback and
information sharing.
" We Feel Secure in the Relationship
with Our Parks "
In all relationships, trust is an important factor, and providers are looking
to establish two-way communication
that includes feedback and information sharing. " I feel secure in the partnership we have with Miami-Dade
parks, " says Dr. Forster. " And as a
result, there's a comfort level for me
to send kids to the park. We are all
working together and invested in the
same goal. I'm not sending my patients somewhere and never hearing
back on how it went and if it improved their health. " Providers within the Miami-Dade park prescription

Parks need to provide a welcoming, safe environment for all visitors, including Park Rx
participants; for example, clear trails and accessible restroom facilities.
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program, Parks Rx 4 Health™, receive measurable outcomes to document patients' progress at baseline,
and at three and six months after
referral. " We meet with park staff
regularly - every other month, " Forster continues. " My level of comfort
comes from the people I work with. I
trust the park and that they're doing
their job.
" Initially, the parks came to us. We
couldn't find resources to give our
families for activity and play and exercise. Most families can't join a gym;
nor would they want to. The parks
had something that was accessible
and available. "
What was especially helpful, Forster said, was that the parks had
something that was evidence-based
and was already making a positive
health impact in the community. " As
a healthcare provider, one of our challenges is to promote things that work.
We don't want to prescribe something
that doesn't make a difference. And,
we want to do this working with people that we know are motivated to improve health. "
" We Believe in This Movement! "
Working with parks has been rewarding for many healthcare providers.
" RX Parks and Trails has become
an integral part of my practice, " says
Wilson. " It works and is a very gratifying experience for me as a provider. One of my patients lost 30 pounds
since the program started. It reversed
her diabetes, and she's not even in
the pre-diabetic range now. " Dr. Forster has also seen numerous benefits.
" I work with a teenage girl who was
struggling with her weight a bit. She
was shy, not really depressed, but we
were worried she was inhibiting herself from activity due to her weight.
She started walking outside with her
mom in the local park, then walking
after school, on her own and with

June 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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