Nature as Medicine Provider Champion Resources
Extensive research has shown that being in nature for as little as 20 minutes per day can reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, and improve self-esteem and mood. Time in nature is particularly beneficial to people living with chronic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, cancer, depression, and anxiety.
The Nature as Medicine program aims to help everyone harness the healing power of nature through:
- Education on the evidence-based benefits of being outside in nature
- Increasing the amount of time people spend outdoors
- Contributing to Cincinnati becoming the healthiest city in America
Nature as Medicine Program Overview
Nature Prescriptions: The Only Nature Rx Program in the Region
UC Health is the only health system in the area prescribing time in nature as a scientifically backed intervention to improve physical and mental health. Patients receive personalized recommendations on how to integrate nature into their daily lives for better well-being.
Exclusive Partnership with a Top 10 National Park System
Our collaboration with the Cincinnati Parks and Cincinnati Parks Foundation, one of the nation’s top-ranked park systems, provides patients with access to high-quality green spaces for healing and provided no-cost, structured outdoor wellness programs, guided activities, and movement therapies in the best natural settings available.
How the Nature as Medicine Program Works
1. Patient Referral
Providers place a Nature Rx referral in Epic: Integrative Medicine Referral Panel -> Nature Rx
2. Patient Communications
Integrative medicine reaches out to the patient via phone and MyChart. Anyone can join the Nature as Medicine email newsletter.
3. Patient Resources
Patients are offered resources, including nature prescription guidance, monthly meetups, Cincinnati Parks programming, and weekly nature walks in Burnet Woods
4. Patient Follow-Up
Patients are encouraged to attend monthly meetup to stay connected and can schedule a one-on-one meeting with Nature as Medicine representative
Champions: What We Need From You
Refer Your Patients
Simply write the order in EPIC for the Nature as Medicine program, and we take it from there! When possible, discuss the program with your patients and why it would benefit them specifically.
Spread the Word
We will keep you updated with regular email communications (no more than once a month) about upcoming opportunities and programs. Help spread the word any way you can: email, MyChart, word of mouth, social media, and attending events as you are available.
Be a Champion
You are a natural fit for this initiative. As a long-time supporter of health and wellness, who embraces the restorative aspects of nature, you truly embody the spirit of our program. Continue to embody the principles of nature as medicine by inspiring your patients and colleagues to enjoy the great outdoors!
Nature as Medicine Classes/Events, Opporunities, & Resources
- Nature as Medicine Monthly Meetup: The first Monday of each month from 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Barbara Walker, PhD, Director of the Nature as Medicine Program at the Clifton Library will guide patients in writing their nature prescriptions and discuss upcoming opportunities.
- Well-being Walks in Burnet Woods in Partnership with the Clifton Library: Weekly on Mondays from 12:15-12:45 p.m. a walking club will leave from the Clifton Library and walk through Burnet Woods. The first Monday of each month, experts from the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Cincinnati will lead a special Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) experience during the walk.
- Mindful Bird Watching with the Cincinnati Library at the Civic Garden Center: Third Saturdays, May-September from 9-11 a.m. come discover why birdwatching is the ideal activity to combine with the practice of mindfulness
- Free Cincinnati Parks Foundation Wellness Programs
- FREE Community Yoga at Burnet Woods: Every Saturday from 11–11:45 am, all levels are welcome! Burnet Woods yoga is year-round, May 1-Oct 14 at the bandstand and Oct 15 – April 30 at Trailside Nature Center.
- Roller Skating at Sawyer Point: Outdoor roller skating returns to the Riverfront Rink at Sawyer Point on June 1 and continues through October with a series of free outdoor roller skating events with music and more in Cincinnati's only outdoor rink.
Cincinnati Parks & Rec for Wellness
Through a new Parks for Wellness collaboration, the Osher Center, the Cincinnati Parks, and the Cincinnati Parks Foundation are on a mission to provide Cincinnatians with opportunities to harness the healing power of nature by providing innovative, evidence-based care and a deeper connection to our local natural world and the communities in which we live and work. The will provide health and wellness education as well as movement and mindfulness therapies in the parks, providing opportunities for social connection, and healing. More information to come on specific neighborhood programming.
How to Write Your Own Nature Prescription
Write your own prescription through Park Rx America
- Place: Where do you feel safe and comfortable outside?
- Activity: What do you enjoy and can commit to doing outside?
- Frequency: How many days per week and for how long?
Tips for Incorporating Nature into Your Routine
Schedule regular "nature breaks" throughout your day, even for 10 minutes at a time.- Bring greenery or images of natural spaces into your home and office, both of which have been shown to lower stress according to studies.
- Try “green exercise” — moving your workout outdoors provides benefits. A recen study found that a short, leafy stroll improves working memory and concentration substantially more than completing the same brief walk inside.
- Turn a regular meeting into a walking meeting outdoors.
- Eat a meal outside in nature (turn any meal into a fun picnic).
- Try ano-cost Cincinnati Parks Foundation wellness program such as yoga, forest bathing or meditation.
Read more: UC News: The Healing Power of Nature;
Video Resources
Planetary Health Team
Contact Us
Osher Center for IntegrativeHealth at UC
Medical Sciences Building Suite 4358
231 Albert Sabin Way
PO Box 670582
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0582
Mail Location: 0582
Phone: 513-558-2310
Fax: 513-558-3266
Email: osher.integrative@uc.edu