Parks Prescription (Rx)

Alameda Health System (AHS) primary care medical and behavioral health providers are encouraging individuals and families to get out in nature to improve mood and health outcomes. Providers will identify patients who could benefit from time spent in nature and write a “Parks Prescription” to a nearby East Bay Regional Park. A prescription to spend time in nature, much like a prescription to medication, is a form of treatment addressing anxiety, depression, cognitive development, blood pressure and blood sugar control.

Patients who receive a Parks Prescription, should consider the positive impact providers believe this intervention can have on ones health! Patients should fill their prescriptions by spending time at a nearby park.

No prescription is needed to visit our local parks.

AHS Parks Rx, in partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD), will also host and lead programs in parks, group settings, offer limited incentive annual memberships, and more!

1. Eastmont Wellness Clinic
   • Leona Canyon
     • Address: Campus Drive off Keller Avenue, Oakland, CA
     • A pristine wooded canyon is protected in this 290-acre parkland near Merritt College in Oakland. Restoration is in progress along Rifle Range Creek along Leona Trail to reduce erosion and protect the riparian ecosystem. Dogs and humans are not allowed in the creek. Please keep dogs on a leash if they will not stay out of the stream.
   • MLK Jr. Shoreline
     • ​Address: Doolittle Dr. & Swan Way, Oakland, CA | MLK, Jr. Shoreline Center: 7250 Doolittle Dr. Oakland, CA 94621 | Tidewater Boating Center: 4675-A Tidewater Ave. Oakland, CA 94601
     • Next to the commercial bustle of Oakland International Airport is a 748-acre park leased from the Port of Oakland, protecting the remainder of a once extensive marshland at San Leandro Bay.
2. Hayward Wellness Clinic
   • Hayward Shoreline
     • Address: 3050 West Winton Ave. Hayward, CA 94545
     • Hayward Regional Shoreline consists of 1,841 acres of salt, fresh, and brackish water marshes, seasonal wetlands, and public trails.​
   • Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer
     • Address: 1320 Garin Avenue, Hayward, CA 94544 | Dry Creek Pioneer: 550 May Road, Union City, CA 94587
     • Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Parks are two adjoining parks from former 19th Century ranches. The Park District has preserved the history of the parks and expanded both over the years with ecologically and historically significant ridges, trails, and open spaces.
3. Highland Wellness Clinic
   • Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park
     • Address: 7867 Redwood Road Oakland, CA 94619
     • Dr. Aurelia Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park is a hidden gem of redwood forest off Redwood Road, just a few miles over the ridge from downtown Oakland. The forest’s peaceful groves give little evidence of the park’s bustling past.
   • Roberts
     • Address: 10570 Skyline Blvd Oakland, CA 94619
     • This 87-acre area is a popular place for family and group picnicking. It is known for its lush setting in a grove of fragrant second growth redwood trees off Skyline Boulevard in Oakland. The original grove was logged between 1840 and 1860 to support the needs of a growing Bay Area community.
4. Newark Wellness Clinic
   • Coyote Hills
     • Address: 8000 Patterson Ranch Road, Fremont, CA 94555
     • Coyote Hills Regional Park was dedicated in 1967. The park comprises 1,266 acres of marshland and rolling grassland-covered hills. This busy park is located along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, northwest of the cities of Fremont and Newark.
   • Ardenwood
     • Address: 34600 Ardenwood Blvd. Fremont, CA 94555
     • Ardenwood Historic Farm offers a glimpse into life on a family farm between 1890 and 1930. Step back in time as you explore the remnants of the once vast estate of George and Clara Patterson, whose family farmed the land for over 100 years, beginning in the 1850s.