By Aden Sievert
Frederick County Parks and Recreation Department uses nature and outdoor activities as prescriptions to help relieve stress, combat obesity, and improve overall well-being.
In 2014, former Frederick County recreation manager and current chief of recreation services in Baltimore County, Amy Vagnoni, was at the forefront of the Docs in the Park initiative, this is an opportunity for doctors to prescribe nature for clients. Frederick County and Frederick City Parks and Recreation partnered with Frederick County Health Department to create “Docs in the Park”.
The initiative began to combat some of Frederick’s more complicated challenges such as nature deficit disorder, obesity and physical inactivity. Their mission was to create a healthier Frederick County.
Docs in the Park works hand in hand with Park Rx America. Park Rx prescribes people nature to combat chronic disease. Based out of Washington D.C. it has around 350 parks mapped around Washington and nearly 300 in Frederick that are rated so people can visit their prescribed park. Park Rx was founded in 2013 by Robert Zarr. Zarr is still the current medical director of Park Rx America.
“The basis of Park Rx America is to write prescriptions that make sense that connect my patients with the outdoors because it’s good for their health,” Zarr said.
The process of prescribing people parks to visit, is commonly referred to as nature-based therapy. This type of therapy has numerous benefits to human physical and mental health, Park Rx’s website provides hundreds of studies demonstrating the benefits of nature.
“As a doctor, I prescribe parks because it’s one of the best things for the health of the children and families I care for. A lot of benefits come from being outside and being in nature,” Chloe Turner said. Turner is a pediatrician in Washington D.C.
Improvements to mental health are important for everyone and one of the best ways to improve mental health is through going outside and experiencing the nature around you. Some benefits one can experience are less depression, decreased stress and anxiety, improved ADHD symptoms, increased focus and restorative properties and an increased sense of well-being, self-concept and resiliency.
“After an excursion into a forested area the level of natural killer cells which are good rises by almost 50% and one month after that walk into the forest it’s still elevated above baseline by 25%,” Zarr said.
Park Rx also provides different things you can do during your time in nature, walking outside during free time isn’t the only thing you can do. They encourage you to find a sit-spot, somewhere where you can sit and take in a view. Take a lunch break somewhere you can walk to really rejuvenate and recover from the stress of the first half of your day. One doesn’t even need to go outside studies have also shown that even caring for a plant inside your house or apartment can benefit a person.
There are also other programs in Maryland that help support people by drawing on nature. The Umbrella Project is one of these programs. The Umbrella Project is a program designed to help people primarily from the ages of 18-30 that are grieving the loss of a loved one and give them a space to reset by going on ‘healing journeys’ through the Appalachian Trail.
The Coates family created the Umbrella Project after the sudden death of their father Vince. Following this, the family hiked the Appalachian trail in Vince’s name and after realizing it helped with the grieving process the family decided to design this program targeted for young adults aged 18-30 to help with their own process of grief.
One of Hood College’s professors is a part of this program. Tim Jacobsen, coordinator of the Hood broadcasting studios has been participating in this program for a few years after the death of his wife.
“Just getting away from your daily routine and getting out in nature and getting to be alone with your thoughts… can really help you deal with whatever kind of grieving process you’re going through,” Jacobsen said.
Every Umbrella Project hike is fully supported, so the only thing people need to bring is the clothes and shoes they want to wear during the multi-day hike. There are veteran hikers on all trips who are wilderness first aid certified and in addition to this there are one-two mental health counselors available for hikers to speak with.
“The idea for this isn’t to get everybody out and have you open your hearts and have big cry sessions at night. It’s just a way to get you out and to let you deal with your grief in your own way,” Jacobsen said.
The Umbrella Project has two trips planned for the rest of 2023 taking place on June 2-5 and Sept. 29 – Oct. 2.