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. Featuring practical resources like quick tips and patient handouts, its goal is to make prescribing time in nature simple, fun and effective.
Each prescriber who registers with PaRx will receive a nature prescription file customized with a unique provider code, and instructions for how to prescribe and log nature prescriptions. Patients can also access special offers from our proud partners to reduce their barriers to nature access across Canada.
Park Prescriptions began as a grassroots movement in the United States over a decade ago, and have now spread to countries around the world. We are proud to be Canada’s national, evidence-based nature prescription program.
PaRx Director
Director of Engagement
Jennie is an experienced educator, facilitator and leader with a Master of Arts degree in Environmental Education and a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology from the University of British Columbia. She brings over 18 years of experience in the non-profit sector, specializing in leading strategic initiatives and collaborating with provincial and federal governments, Indigenous organizations, school districts and industry. Jennie works to change behaviours and empower people to protect and connect to nature at work, at school or at play. The privilege and magic of growing up on the beaches of Kitsilano and spending summers camping and swimming in the Salish Sea have inspired a passion for the environment that Jennie strives to share with others every day.
PaRx Coordinator
Laura Hergott is the PaRx Coordinator for the BC Parks Foundation, managing the national nature prescription program. With a background in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Laura was drawn to PaRx by the evidence-based research backing nature prescriptions. In science, Laura was passionate about making cutting-edge research more accessible to the public. Now, she brings that passion to the BC Parks Foundation, hoping to make nature more accessible for others. In her spare time, Laura enjoys rock climbing in Squamish and hiking with her dog on the North Shore.
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PaRx has officially launched in every province across Canada. Stay tuned for upcoming launches in the North.
Please keep an eye out on the BC Parks Foundation's website for volunteer or career opportunities with PaRx.
Please get in touch via our Contact page or send us an email at parx@bcparksfoundation.ca to explore a possible partnership.
In order to participate in our program, patients must receive a nature prescription from a registered PaRx prescriber enrolled in our program. If your healthcare provider is not registered with us, consider telling them about PaRx during your next regularly scheduled appointment.
Note that any regulated health professional in any province in Canada can prescribe nature through our program. This includes family doctors working in regular practices or walk-in clinics, other physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists and more.
Unfortunately we are unable to share lists of prescribers or connect patients to prescribers in our program due to privacy reasons.
To enrol in our program and be entered into our monthly prize draw, click the Log Your PaRx button on our website and fill out the online form using your healthcare provider’s PaRx code and your own email address. If you have been prescribed a Parks Canada Discovery Pass, be sure to check the “I was prescribed a Parks Canada Discovery Pass” box.
Licensed healthcare professionals registered in the PaRx program may prescribe Parks Canada Discovery Passes to patients they feel will benefit most from them during the course of regular medical appointments scheduled for pre-existing health conditions. Please do not book an appointment with a primary care provider solely to request a prescription for a pass, as this is not a visit that would be covered under provincial health insurance. Note that passes are prioritized for adults who live close to Parks Canada administered sites—youth 17 and under enjoy free access—and also for those for whom the cost of a pass would be a significant barrier to nature access.
PaRx is on a mission to connect people to nature across Canada, no matter where they live. In addition to the positive health effects of spending time in nature you’ll enjoy with a PaRx prescription, we’re also collaborating with other nature-based organizations to offer free admission, discounts and other benefits to reduce their barriers to nature access. Find a list of PaRx Partner Offers by region here.
First, please check your Spam or Junk folder in case an email from us has ended up there. If you’ve logged a PaRx prescription that includes a Parks Canada Discovery Pass, review our step-by-step guide to ensure you haven’t missed any steps. Lastly, you can Contact Us via our website to check on the status of your prescription.
Any healthcare professional governed by a regulatory body or college in Canada can choose to register to become a PaRx prescriber. This varies between provinces and territories. Please check with your healthcare association to determine if your health profession is currently regulated in your jurisdiction.
Prescribers can prescribe 1 Parks Canada Discovery Pass per month, which gives patients unlimited access to over 80 national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas for a year. Please prioritize patients who live close to Parks Canada administered sites, and for whom the cost of a pass would be a barrier to nature access. Note that youth 17 and under enjoy free access to Parks Canada administered locations. You can find a step-by-step guide on how to prescribe a Parks Canada Discovery Pass here.
PaRx is on a mission to connect people to nature across Canada, no matter where they live. In addition to the positive health effects of spending time in nature patients enjoy with a PaRx prescription, we’re also collaborating with other nature-based organizations to offer free admission, discounts and other benefits to reduce their barriers to nature access. Find a list of PaRx Partner Offers by region here.
Please note that although you can only prescribe one Parks Canada Discovery Pass per month, general PaRx prescriptions are unlimited.
Any team of healthcare professionals can register together in bulk, rather than individually on our website here. To get started, please get in touch with us via our Contact page or send us an email at parx@bcparksfoundation.ca.
PaRx offers group codes for healthcare teams made up of multiple prescribers. The group prescription file can easily be added to your EMR, so all prescribers can access it. Please note, a group code can only be used to write nature prescriptions that do not include a Discovery Pass. If a prescriber would like to prescribe a Discovery Pass to their patient, they must use their unique provider code instead of the group code.
The Parks Canada Discovery Pass gives you unlimited access to over 80 national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas for a year. Click here for a list of these locations in your region. For more information about the Discovery Pass, please visit: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/admission.
First, sign your Discovery Pass immediately so the pass is valid. When you enter a Parks Canada administered site, the Discovery Pass should be hung from the rear-view mirror of the vehicle with the date facing forward, or it can be placed on the front driver side dashboard with the date facing up. If you are motorcycling or bicycling through a national park, you must produce your pass at the gate or upon request by a Parks Canada team member. The Discovery Pass must also be presented in person at the admission kiosk of a national historic site.
The Parks Canada website provides detailed information on hours of operation, what visitors can expect, how to prepare for a visit and what services may be available. Visitors are asked to plan ahead by checking the website before they travel.
The Parks Canada Discovery Pass is a physical pass that we mail to you, so we are unable to provide a digital copy of it. A physical pass needs to be shown at the gate or upon request by a Parks Canada team member.
As part of our partnering agreement with Parks Canada, PaRx prescribers can prescribe one Adult Parks Canada Discovery Pass per month, not a Family/Group pass. Note that youth 17 and under enjoy free access to Parks Canada administered locations.
For questions about visits to Parks Canada administered places, please consult the website of the specific place you are planning to visit. The Parks Canada website provides detailed information on hours of operation, what visitors can expect, how to prepare for a visit and what services may be available. Visitors are asked to plan ahead by checking the website before they travel.
Your nature prescription is meant to be lifelong. However, if you would like a new Parks Canada Discovery Pass, please ask your healthcare provider to issue you a new PaRx prescription along with a Parks Canada Discovery Pass, and check the “I was prescribed a Parks Canada Discovery Pass” box when logging your prescription on our website.
PaRx is grateful to UBC medical students Jennifer Brazeau, Mitchell Figura, Ola Lemanowicz, Peter Singh and Xuan Zhao for their work to create evidence-based resources for PaRx, science educator Jennie McCaffrey for her valuable contributions, and Emma Griggs for her work as web developer.
We also acknowledge Nature and Forest Therapy of Canada, whose members have generously volunteered their time to connect health professionals across Canada to nature to improve their health and well-being.
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