Tidelands Health offering unique ‘prescription’ for walking at Brookgreen Gardens
Take a walk at Brookgreen Gardens – doctor’s orders.
Tidelands Health medical practices are helping eligible patients get more physical activity through “A Walk in the Garden,” a unique collaboration between Tidelands Health and Brookgreen Gardens.
Just as they write prescriptions for medication, providers are offering qualifying patients a walking program prescription redeemable for a free, 30-day pass to Brookgreen Gardens.
“I tell patients who need to jumpstart their physical activity about the health and wellness benefits of walking every day, but to hand them a prescription to walk at beautiful Brookgreen Gardens offers a remarkable incentive to help get them moving,” said Dr. James Turek, a family medicine physician at Tidelands Health. “It truly can be the best medicine for eligible patients – a regular walking routine can do wonders for their overall health. I’d much rather write a prescription for walking than have to prescribe medications for the conditions that walking could help prevent.”
To be eligible to receive a walking prescription, an individual must be a patient at a Tidelands Health practice, at least 40 years old, not physically active and have one or more cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension or diabetes. As with all prescriptions, providers will determine if a walking prescription is appropriate for a patient.
Patients can choose their own walking path at Brookgreen Gardens or select from four walking trails ranging in length from less than a mile to 2.2 miles – outlined in a map they receive when redeeming their prescription.
At the end of the 30-day pass, patients have the option to purchase a Brookgreen Gardens annual pass at a discounted rate.
“We’re eager to help Tidelands Health patients ‘fill’ their walking prescription and take a huge step forward in their health and wellness journey,” said Page Kiniry, president and CEO of Brookgreen Gardens. “We are proud to partner with Tidelands Health to provide this unique and innovative program for patients who need to increase their physical activity. Studies show that in addition to the physical benefits of exercise, there are tremendous psychological benefits in the beauty of art and nature. We hope to become an integral part of people’s overall wellness routines.”
Walking – even for just 30 minutes a day – can lead to dramatic health improvements. About 3.2 million deaths a year worldwide are attributed to physical inactivity. Regular walking has been proven to improve overall health by helping increase heart and lung fitness, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, improve management of conditions such as high blood pressure and cholesterol and even help lead to weight loss.
In addition to A Walk in the Garden, Tidelands Health offers numerous walking programs and initiatives across the region. The health system has developed walking trails around its hospitals and regularly sponsors community walks and runs such as the Bridge2Bridge Run and the Race for the Inlet. Tidelands Health also partnered with Murrells Inlet 2020 to help fund construction of the Inlet to Intracoastal Multipurpose Path, which currently stretches from U.S. 17 Business at Macklen Avenue to Old Kings Road.
