Evidence linking parks and green spaces to public health continues to grow, as does the medical practice of doctors prescribing time outdoors for their patients as a means to treat and prevent chronic disease (Frumkin, 2017; D’Agostino, 2018).
At the same time, insurance companies are embracing new models of preventative care, including “upstream” approaches that focus on promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Presented by the Aetna Foundation, on Tuesday, October 16, from 8 a.m.—12 p.m. at the Snow King Resort Hotel, an invite-only think tank with some of the country’s leading experts will identify opportunities for mainstreaming “Nature Rx” as an integral element of national healthcare delivery systems.
The think tank is being led by Dr. Michael Suk, the System-Wide Chairman of the Geisinger Musculoskeletal Institute and one of the country’s earliest and most ardent proponents of the connection between public health and public lands.
Participants include:
Topics to be explored include:
A breakfast discussion will be followed by a workshop in which participants break into small teams to develop the opportunities identified during the panel.
The think tank will conclude with report-outs on key findings, as well as the articulation of action steps that can be taken by interested participants to advance the effort to include nature as a social determinant of health. To apply, please RSVP to info@shiftjh.org and include your credentials.