The girl had been experiencing chest pains and her worried mother thought she should go to the emergency room, recalled Amanda E. DeCew, a Fair Haven clinic director and pediatric nurse.
The girl “was spending her entire day inside and had been inside for like two weeks,” DeCew said. “But the more we got into her symptoms, the more I really felt like this was anxiety and nothing that she needed to go the emergency room for.”
But DeCew also knew that some kind of medical intervention was needed. “I’m going to write a park prescription for you,” she told the girl. “Just try this for today.”
Medical providers are taking nature therapy seriously
Melanie Stengel :: C-HIT.ORG
Meghan Casey, left, a nursing and public health student at Yale, and Amanda E. DeCew, an advanced practice registered nurse in pediatrics at Fair Haven Community Health Care in New Haven, go for a morning walk along Quinnipiac River Trail on Front Street. DeCew, also the clinic’s director for quality improvement and risk management, became interested in the benefits of nature therapy after hearing a podcast on the topic. She, and a few other colleagues, now prescribe outdoor activities to children and adults when they think it’s appropriate.
Melanie Stengel
Schools were closed and online learning was in full swing last March when a teenager and her mom arrived at Fair Haven Community Health Care in New Haven.
The girl had been experiencing chest pains and her worried mother thought she should go to the emergency room, recalled Amanda DeCew, a Fair Haven clinic director and pediatric nurse.
The girl “was spending her entire day inside and had been inside for like two weeks,” DeCew said. “But the more we got into her symptoms, the more I really felt like this was anxiety and nothing that she needed to go the emergency room for.”
Nature deficit disorder : CT doctors are prescribing a walk in the park as therapy
Jenifer Frank, Conn. Health I-Team Writer
Feb. 22, 2021
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Walkers take advantage of a bright, clear day to stroll along a wooded trail in New Haven’s Edgewood Park. Scientists and medical providers are becoming increasingly impressed by how the simple act of spending time outdoors in a natural setting can lead to improved physical and mental health.Conn. Health I-TeamShow MoreShow Less
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Meghan Casey, left, a nursing and public health student at Yale, and Amanda E. DeCew, an advanced practice registered nurse in pediatrics at Fair Haven Community Health Care in New Haven, go for a lunchtime walk along Quinnipiac River Trail on Front Street. DeCew, also the clinic’s director for quality improvement and risk management, became interested in the benefits of nature therapy after hearing a podcast on the topic. She, and a few other colleagues, now prescribe outdoor ac