PaRx 

KINGSTON NS  April 22, 2022

Today, on Earth Day, the Kingston/Greenwood Community Health Board is pleased to partner with PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program, to officially launch nature prescribing in Nova Scotia. Health professionals across the province can now formally prescribe nature to their patients as part of their personal health care plans. 

The Kingston/Greenwood Community Health Board is a committed group of volunteers who are working together to improve the health of the local community. Community Health Boards in Nova Scotia serve a vital role in the well-being of their communities, helping to support many community-based projects and partnerships.

The Western Zone Community Health Plan, which was informed by an extensive community engagement process, identifies four priorities for improving community health: food security, housing, recreation & wellness, and community connection. Increasing access to healthy living, recreation and wellness opportunities by removing barriers is a key recommendation in the Community Health Plan, and the Kingston/Greenwood Community Health Board sees PaRx as an important way for prescribers to help increase access to recreation in nature.

“We are thrilled to support this innovative wellness initiative as it rolls out across the province of Nova Scotia,” says Pat Nixon, Chair of the Kingston/Greenwood Community Health Board.  “It is a natural fit with the goals identified in our Community Health Plan and our Board’s commitment to improving the health and wellness of our community.” 

Nature prescriptions were named one of the top eight global wellness trends in 2019 and are being implemented around the world. The UK and other countries have invested in park prescription pilots to help address mental and physical health problems and the resulting strain on their health-care systems and economies. 

The BC Parks Foundation launched PaRx in November 2020, starting in British Columbia, and since then expanding to Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. Winning a prestigious Joule Innovation prize from the Canadian Medical Association and recognized by the World Health Organization at COP26 for its unique approach to addressing both the health of people and the planet, PaRx now has over 5,000 prescribers across Canada.

The Kingston/Greenwood Community Health Board is actively interested in social prescribing, the practice of health professionals referring patients to community resources that support their health and wellbeing. This includes a range of practices from nature prescriptions such as the PaRx program, to addressing loneliness and social isolation through referrals to meaningful community-based activities. Stay tuned for upcoming conversations and initiatives around social prescribing from the Kingston/Greenwood Community Health Board by following them on Facebook.