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Published on May 02, 2022

‘Talk and Walk with a Doc’ Launches May 21

(Hyannis, MA – May 2, 2022) A new Healthy Parks, Healthy People three-part initiative will kick off on Saturday, May 21, as Cape Cod Healthcare cardiologist Elissa Thompson, MD, and a Cape Cod National Seashore ranger team up for a short talk and trail walk starting at the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham.

 “Talk and Walk with a Doc” is an outdoor wellness series at the National Seashore offered as part of the Healthy Parks, Healthy People program, which is entering its eighth season as a partnership between Cape Cod Healthcare and the Cape Cod National Seashore. The program encourages outdoor exercise and exposure to nature through parks and public lands as a way to maintain good health, featuring the local resources of the trails, facilities and staff of the National Park Service.

“Now more than ever, outdoor exercise is essential to boosting physical and mental health,” says Mike Lauf, President and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare. “We are proud of our long-term partnership with the Cape Cod National Seashore, and encourage residents and visitors to enjoy the benefits of nature available on Cape Cod as a way to help improve well-being.”

Each event will feature short presentations by Dr. Thompson, a ranger and other experts focused on parks as the cornerstones for human and environmental health, specifically relating the health benefits of time spent in nature from the aspects of exercise and cardiovascular health, nutrition and mindfulness. A two-mile ranger-guided trail walk will follow the informal presentations. The kick-off event on May 21 will begin at 9 a.m. with the focus of Dr. Thompson’s talk being “The Cardiovascular Benefits of Outdoor Exercise.” The event is free and open to the public and no registration is required.

“Talk and Walk with a Doc” events will run in May, July and October 2022 as part of the overall Healthy Parks, Healthy People season-long program, which includes access to NPS-hosted programs, the park “prescription” for good health and self-guided trail walks at the park.

For more information, visit www.capecodhealth.org/healthyparks