Tennessee State Parks’ Health Program Receives National Recognition

Port Royal State Park

Tennessee State Parks’ Healthy Parks Healthy Person program, which rewards park goers for participating in outdoor activities, has been designated as a 2018 SHIFT Awards Official Selection by The Center for Jackson Hole in Jackson, WY.

Through the use of the Healthy Parks Healthy Person app, participants can use their mobile device to create a profile and begin earning points and rewards for getting outside and active in any park in Tennessee.

“More than 2,500 park visitors use this app to benefit their personal health and enjoy Tennessee’s beautiful public lands,” said Brock Hill, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. “The program is providing incentives for people to get outside and improve their health while creating new stewards for our parks.”

Tennessee State Parks and the Tennessee Department of Health partnered to develop the app in 2017, allowing park visitors to redeem activity points for state park merchandise and experiences, from gift shop swag to a round of golf. The program also includes a Park Prescription feature through which healthcare providers can prescribe outdoor activity as part of a healthcare regimen for patients.

“The Tennessee Department of Health is always looking for innovative ways to engage Tennesseans in healthy behaviors,” said TDH Assistant Commissioner for Family Health and Wellness Morgan McDonald, MD. “This award underscores the uniqueness of this popular program and we’re excited to see Healthy Parks Healthy Person, funded in part by TDH, receive this much-deserved attention.”

The SHIFT awards recognize the ways pioneers, early adopters and thought leaders from around the country are integrating time outdoors in nature into our health care system and daily lives. More than 150 nominations were considered on the basis of impact, innovation and replicability.

Tennessee State Parks has been invited to showcase the initiative in Jackson, WY, this October. For more information about Healthy Parks Healthy Person, visit http://app.healthyparkstn.com/login.