Just heard of this initiative and found the concept interesting.
I’m thinking possibly that they could help this even further with what would be Nature Therapists that could help guide the experiences of the uninitiated rather than just giving patients a pass - Hello iNaturalist?
This is from the about at this web site: PaRx is an initiative of the BC Parks Foundation, driven by health-care professionals who want to improve their patients’ health by connecting them to nature.https://www.parkprescriptions.ca/en/about
In the park where I work we accept doctors’ prescriptions for free parking and inclusion in our guided Hiking for Fitness series. It is very popular. We also have yoga hikes and Forest Bathing, but don’t yet make those free with prescription.
I have somewhat mixed feelings on this. On one hand being out in nature definitely has its benefits, and I’d love to see more people get a chance to experience things like national parks. I just hope people don’t start seeing this as an alternative to other forms of healthcare, which are just as important and often necessary.
If it is a doctor’s prescription - they are already getting the needed medical care and treatment. This is only part of it. The green pill - take once a week.
I initially thought this was a post about human prescriptions to the non-human world, and immediately thought ‘what hubris’. ‘Nature’ can look after itself, if humans just let it be.
Once I read what it actually was about, I agree with @dianastuder - medical care may be necessary, but take that green pill at least once a week. Great way to prevent, and help heal whatever ails us. We have blizzard conditions at present, but I got out for a walk this morning. It helped. Perhaps encouraging people to slow down and start to look at things around them (I have not read the details) would help folks to realise that there is a world that exists outside of them, populated by individuals not like us.
In the United States it is apparently possible with an official diagnosis of adhd or autism and a letter from a doctor to get a lifetime national parks pass for a small fee. I haven’t yet done so myself but I should. It’s totally legit too, in my mind, as for many neurodivergent people being in nature is incredibly important. Just look how many of us are on inat. For me time in nature is probably the best coping strategy I have.
As others have said here it isn’t a replacement for medicine, psychotherapy, etc when those are needed. But it is a real, huge, sometimes life saving thing especially given some neurodivergent people have difficulty with employment and are more likely to be unable to afford park passes