West Palm Beach, Fla.-based primary care network MetCare will partner with Louisville, Ky.-based health insurer Humana for a program called Park Rx that lets physicians write prescriptions for patients to spend time in nearby parks.
Participating patients will receive a written prescription to head to a local green space and participate in an activity tailored to their needs. A clinical study in accordance with the program will assess how it affects patients' health and use of parks. The CDC's "Healthy Days" measure will be used to evaluate patient outcomes over the course of a year.
"Park Rx is more than just a prescription to spend time in a park or green space," Mark Steffen, MD, Humana medical director, said. "We hope that the data gathered from the program will show the need for additional, larger clinical studies examining the health benefits of time in nature."
The program is a component of Humana's partnership with the National Park Foundation for the "Find Your Park" movement.
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