WCC 2016 Res 064 - Activity Report

Established a new Healthy Parks Healthy People 2.0 strategy and implementation plan.

Established a new Sister Park relationship between Catoctin Mountain Park (Maryland, USA) and Schwarzwald (Black Forest) National Park (Germany), with shared interests in Healthy Parks Healthy People programs and research.

Organized and participated in an invitation-only think tank for forty people, entitled “Nature Rx: A Gateway to Better Health” in Jackson, Wyoming. This convening brought together approximately forty leading experts at a pre-conference event to SHIFT, with a purpose to discuss opportunities for mainstreaming “Nature Rx” as an integral element of national healthcare delivery systems. Panelists who kicked off the think tank event were representatives of US NPS Healthy Parks Healthy People, WebMD, Solera Health, Geisinger Health, and BlueCross Blue Shield Foundation of North Carolina.

Delivered 125 Healthy Parks Healthy People Pioneer Awards to recognize the work of individuals, organizations, and teams all across the country during the inception of the National Park Service’s Healthy Parks Healthy People Program (2011-2016).

Hosted the third annual national Park Rx Day, during National Park Week, 2018. The national day proved successful in garnering 68 registered Park Rx Day events in 32 states across the United States ( up from 59 events in 26 states in 2017). Social media influencers included the US Surgeon General, American Academy of Pediatricians, and the Weather Channel.

Completed first draft of the Health Promoting Parks Assessment Tool, a collaborative project underway by the US National Park Service and the WHO/PAHO (Pan American Health Region of the WHO).

Participated in Italy’s First Symposium on Climate Change and Health, hosted by the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ISS). The Italian National Health Institute invited the US National Park Service to join a panel presentation to share information on the topic of nature exposure and children’s health, The symposium assembled people from a broad array of sectors and interests, including research, academia, non-profit organizations, as well as representatives from the ministries of health and the environment, and the World Health Organization (WHO).