Cincinnati Parks + Rec for Wellness: A citywide collaboration to grow healthier communities
Cincinnati Parks + Rec for Wellness is a groundbreaking initiative that is transforming public green spaces and recreation centers into powerful tools for community health.
Launched by Cincinnati Parks Foundation, the philanthropic partner to Cincinnati Parks, in collaboration with the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Cincinnati, alongside Cincinnati Recreation Commission and the Cincinnati Recreation Foundation, this program delivers free, accessible wellness programming in parks and recreation spaces throughout the city.
'Parks have always been places for connection and community,' said Jennifer Hafner Spieser, president and CEO of Cincinnati Parks Foundation. 'Now, they're also places where we can move, breath, heal and grow — together.'
Anchored in partnership
This health-forward initiative is guided by four key organizations:
Cincinnati Parks Foundation serves as the fundraising and strategic backbone and program facilitator, ensuring broad access, long-term impact and continued growth.
Cincinnati Parks provides access to parks and green spaces across the city, activating them as wellness hubs.
Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC) and Foundation integrate wellness offerings into Rec Centers and expand reach to every neighborhood (and every neighbor).
The Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Cincinnati brings scientific leadership in lifestyle medicine and holistic, evidence-based wellness strategies.
Together, these partners are building a citywide model that unites nature, movement and mindfulness.
Expanding the circle of support
The program's impact is strengthened by a growing network of community collaborators and supporters, including:
The Cincinnati Parks + Rec for Wellness steering committee, including generous donors Cathy Crain and Carrie Hayden and Cincinnati Parks
Findlay Market, Metro, 1in5 and Interact for Health, who contribute outreach support and other resources.
Amy Tobin's Table, Cincy Girls Who, Emily Buckley (Get Living Guru), Riviera Run, Lincoln Ware Walking Club, the Osher Center at UC, Price Hill Will Wellness Community Action Team, Robert O'Neal Multicultural Arts Center (ROMAC), Skate Downtown Cincy and World Peace Yoga, who offer unique programming, grassroots engagement and local expertise.
From community walks to yoga flows, dance classes and roller skating, these collaborators are making wellness feel relevant, inclusive and rooted in neighborhood identity.
expand
A growing menu of free activities
Offered in neighborhood parks, the program's calendar of free wellness offerings is designed to reflect community interests, including:
Yoga, tai chi, dance and movement classes taught by local certified instructors.
Guided hikes, walks and runs led by nature enthusiasts.
Roller skating classes (with free roller skate rentals available) at the Sawyer Point Riverfront Rink
Classes are currently scheduled in Avondale, Ezzard Charles, Glenway, Lytle, Owl's Nest and Sawyer Point Parks. Guided hikes take place in Cincinnati Parks throughout the city.
Wellness that works
As part of the initiative, physicians through UC Health are now prescribing time in nature as a formal part of their patients' wellness plans. This emerging trend encourages patients to spend time in Cincinnati Parks to reduce stress, improve mood, increase physical activity and build community connections. Patients will receive a Cincinnati Parks + Rec for Wellness Field Guide to help track group activities and self-led time outdoors. Park prescriptions are backed by growing research and are being embraced as a low-cost, high-impact way to support physical and mental health, right in our city's own back yard — Cincinnati Parks.
expand
Looking ahead
Cincinnati Parks + Rec for Wellness is laying the groundwork for a more connected and resilient city. With plans to expand to more parks and increase program variety and participation, the future is full of possibilities.
'The power of parks benefits our city and its 52 neighborhoods' Spieser said. 'And thanks to the power of partnership, this program is providing community-based wellness that is free and open to all.'
here.
The Cincinnati Parks Foundation champions the activation of Cincinnati Parks, creating clean, green and welcoming spaces. Through community partnerships and philanthropic support, we help Cincinnati Parks thrive — so everyone has a place to gather, play, connect and grow. Learn more at www.cincinnatiparksfoundation.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Dangerously high levels of E. coli in Burnet Woods prompt closure of section of park
Dangerously high levels of a bacteria that can cause vomiting, diarrhea and in rare cases, death, were detected in a public park near the University of Cincinnati. Researchers discovered E. coli in both dry and wet soil samples from Burnet Woods, a 90-acre public park that extends into Corryville, CUF and Clifton. E. coli levels ranged between 18 to over 600 times the U.S. Environment Protection Agency's limit for allowing swimming in the Ohio River, said Bob Hyland, an associate professor-educator in the School of Environment and Sustainability at UC, who oversaw the student-led research. On June 8, Cincy VegFest, a plant-based food festival, was hosted in Burnet Woods not far from where the E. coli was found. And three days later, on June 11, Cincinnati Parks staff cordoned off the area the researchers sampled, just a few dozen yards from parents dropping their kids off at summer camp and college students going on jogs. "Based upon what we've found over the last week or two," said Hyland, "we're concerned that this could be a public health risk that has not been taken seriously enough.' Sewer pipes that run under the wooded area of the park have led to periodic overflows during heavy rains, bringing bacteria such as E. coli, which is normally found in human feces, to the surface. But the fact that his team was able to find E. coli in the absence of a sewer overflow is especially worrying, said Hyland, who said he wants to know the reason why there's so much E. coli in the park. In a joint emailed statement issued with Cincinnati Parks, Deb Leonard, the spokesperson for the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, said the "limited" sampling "confirms" the presence of E. coli in the park. The city has been in contact with the University of Cincinnati "to better understand the situation," said Leonard, and test the area. "The city manager's office, MSD, parks, and health will take immediate steps to conduct additional tests and investigate the source of potential contamination within the surrounding park," she said. While the soil and standing water samples were compared to the EPA's limits for recreational water, which would not apply to the forested area, Leonard said, "the city encourages the public to continue to exercise caution when exploring the area and follow directions on park signage." E. coli is a group of bacteria that usually lives in the gut of healthy people and animals. Normally, the kind in your gut doesn't harm you, but when ingested, some strains of the bacteria can make you sick with a gastrointestinal illness, pneumonia or a urinary tract infection. The U.S. EPA considers E. coli an indicator organism, or a way for officials monitoring water quality to identify fecal contamination of freshwater and the presence of disease-causing bacteria and viruses. Symptoms of an E. coli infection include abdominal pain, dehydration, watery diarrhea, vomiting and a fever. And though they're rare, certain strains of E. coli can be life-threatening, according to Dr. Andrew Beck, a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's, due to the toxins they release – usually identifiable by bloody diarrhea. Common ways of contracting E. coli include eating infected food, such as undercooked ground beef or unpasteurized milk, or from contact with another person, known as the "oral-fecal" route, where the bacteria travels from the feces of one person to the mouth of another, usually due to someone failing to wash their hands properly. Beck's research shows that children may be contracting gastrointestinal illnesses from sewer overflows. In 2017, he co-authored a study that found that sewer overflows in Cincinnati were associated with a 16% increase in Cincinnati Children's emergency department visits for gastrointestinal illnesses among children who lived within 500 meters of the sewer. Researchers' primary hypothesis for how the children contracted the GI illnesses was that they were "playing in contaminated water" and dirtying their hands, said Beck. Student researchers first found E. coli in Burnet Woods in the fall of 2024, according to Hyland. Similarly to the preliminary research released in June, they found elevated levels of E. coli despite there being no overflow of the sewer pipes. "We were perplexed," said Hyland. "What we now are feeling more confident about, but want to do more research to build our confidence is that the pipe is probably compromised." Hyland believes the pipes are leaking sewage to the surface of the park because of their aging infrastructure and the presence of sinkholes in Burnet Woods, which can be a sign that piping is damaged. The Enquirer confirmed that there are at least two sinkholes in the area near where the E. coli was found. Leonard confirmed that some pipe segments running underneath Burnet Woods were installed in the late 1800s, while newer segments were installed in the 1990s. "All the segments are inspected regularly and are in good condition with no structural issues," she said. Government records and neighborhood meeting notes indicate that residents living near Burnet Woods were affected by a sewage overflow more than once in the past year. Burnet Woods saw a sewage overflow once this year and twice in 2024 during heavy rains, according to Leonard. When that happens, she said that Cincinnati Parks, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Sewer District, installs signage notifying park visitors of the potential contamination. The meeting minutes for the Corryville Community Council, a membership organization for residents of the neighborhood, mention sewer overflow or the smell of sewage at least four times between January 2024 and now. The most recent finding of E. coli in Burnet Woods follows a sewage leak at Winton Lake in May, which resulted in officials suspending recreational activities at the lake. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Part of Cincinnati park roped off after E. coli found
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Yahoo
Hamilton County judge, who has been on medical leave for a year, announces retirement
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Tom Heekin, who has been on medical leave for more than a year, has decided to retire from the bench. Heekin is undergoing treatment for cancer. He has served as a judge since 2016 when he was appointed by then-Gov. John Kasich. He was elected to a second, six-year term in November 2022 and had four years left in that term Heekin, 64, started his medical leave in April 2024. Since that time, Robert Ruehlman, a retired judge, has been handling Heekin's cases. The Ohio Supreme Court appointed Ruehlman on a temporary basis, officials said. He served as a common pleas judge in Hamilton County for 36 years. It is Gov. Mike DeWine's responsibility to appoint Heekin's successor. In a statement, Court Administrator Thomas Beridon said Heekin's tenure was "marked by his deep understanding of the law, his respect for all who entered his courtroom and his steady leadership." "We are profoundly grateful for his faithful service and continued partnership through this period of transition," Beridon said. Heekin's late father, Tom Heekin Sr., was a municipal judge and common pleas judge in Hamilton County decades ago. Ruehlman, in fact, worked for Heekin's father in the 1970s as a law clerk. Heekin is a graduate of Princeton High School. He received his law degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1988. He was an assistant prosecutor in Hamilton County for several years and later founded the law firm Heekin & Heekin with his brother, Christopher. Heekin was a longtime Republican. But when he ran for reelection in 2022, he switched parties and became a Democrat. In a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine's office, Heekin announced that his retirement will be effective Friday, May 30. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Hamilton County Judge Tom Heekin announces retirement
Scientific American
27-05-2025
- Scientific American
Ministrokes Can Be Just as Dangerous for the Brain as Regular Strokes
Kristin Kramer woke up early on a Tuesday morning 10 years ago because one of her dogs needed to go out. Then, a couple of odd things happened. When she tried to call her other dog, 'I couldn't speak,' she said. As she walked downstairs to let them into the yard, 'I noticed that my right hand wasn't working.' But she went back to bed, 'which was totally stupid,' said Kramer, now 54, an office manager in Muncie, Indiana. 'It didn't register that something major was happening,' especially because, reawakening an hour later, 'I was perfectly fine.' On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. So she 'just kind of blew it off' and went to work. It's a common response to the neurological symptoms that signal a TIA, a transient ischemic attack or ministroke. At least 240,000 Americans experience one each year, with the incidence increasing sharply with age. Because the symptoms disappear quickly, usually within minutes, people don't seek immediate treatment, putting them at high risk for a bigger stroke. Kramer felt some arm tingling over the next couple of days and saw her doctor, who found nothing alarming on a CT scan. But then she started 'jumbling' her words and finally had a relative drive her to an emergency room. By then, she could not sign her name. After an MRI, she recalled, 'my doctor came in and said, 'You've had a small stroke.'' Did those early-morning aberrations constitute a TIA? Might a 911 call and an earlier start on anticlotting drugs have prevented her stroke? 'We don't know,' Kramer said. She's doing well now, but faced with such symptoms again, 'I would seek medical attention.' Now, a large epidemiological study by researchers at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and the University of Cincinnati, published in JAMA Neurology, points to another reason to take TIAs seriously: Over five years, study participants' performance on cognitive tests after a TIA drops as steeply as it does among victims of a full-on stroke. 'If you have one stroke or one TIA, with no other event over time and no other change in your medical status, the rate of cognitive decline is the same,' said Victor Del Bene, a neuropsychologist and lead author of the study. An accompanying editorial by Eric Smith, a neurologist at the University of Calgary, was pointedly headlined 'Transient Ischemic Attack — Not So Transient After All!' The study showed that even if the symptoms resolve — typically within 15 minutes to an hour — TIAs set people on a different cognitive slope later in life, Smith said in an interview: 'a long-lasting change in people's cognitive ability, possibly leading to dementia.' The study, analyzing findings from data on more than 30,000 participants, followed three groups of adults age 45 or older with no history of stroke or TIA. 'It's been a hard group to study because you lack the baseline data of how they were functioning prior to the TIA or stroke,' Del Bene said. With this longitudinal study, however, researchers could separate those who went on to have a TIA from a group who went on to suffer a stroke and also from an asymptomatic control group. The team adjusted their findings for a host of demographic variables and health conditions. Immediately after a TIA, 'we don't see an abrupt change in cognition,' as measured by cognitive tests administered every other year, Del Bene said. The stroke group showed a steep decline, but the TIA and control group participants 'were more or less neck and neck.' Five years later, the picture was different. People who had experienced TIAs were cognitively better off than those who had suffered strokes. But both groups were experiencing cognitive decline, and at equally steep rates. After accounting for various possible causes, the researchers concluded that the cognitive drop reflected not demographic factors, chronic illnesses, or normal aging, but the TIA itself. 'It's not dementia,' Del Bene said of the decline after a TIA. 'It may not even be mild cognitive impairment. But it's an altered trajectory.' Of course, most older adults do have other illnesses and risk factors, like heart disease, diabetes, or smoking. 'These things together work synergistically to increase the risk for cognitive decline and dementia over time,' he said. The findings reinforce long-standing concerns that people experiencing TIAs don't respond quickly enough to the incident. 'These events are serious, acute, and dangerous,' said Claiborne Johnston, a neurologist and chief medical officer of Harbor Health in Austin, Texas. After a TIA, neurologists put the risk of a subsequent stroke within 90 days at 5% to 20%, with half that risk occurring in the first 48 hours. 'Feeling back to normal doesn't mean you can ignore this, or delay and discuss it with your primary care doctor at your next visit,' Johnston said. The symptoms should prompt a 911 call and an emergency room evaluation. How to recognize a TIA? Tracy Madsen, an epidemiologist and emergency medicine specialist at the University of Vermont, promotes the BE FAST acronym: balance loss, eyesight changes, facial drooping, arm weakness, speech problems. The 'T' is for time, as in don't waste any. 'We know a lot more about how to prevent a stroke, as long as people get to a hospital,' said Madsen, vice chair of an American Heart Association committee that, in 2023, revised recommendations for TIAs. The statement called for more comprehensive and aggressive testing and treatment, including imaging, risk assessment, anticlotting and other drugs, and counseling about lifestyle changes that reduce stroke risk. Unlike other urgent conditions, a TIA may not look dramatic or even be visible; patients themselves have to figure out how to respond. Karen Howze, 74, a retired lawyer and journalist in Reno, Nevada, didn't realize that she'd had several TIAs until after a doctor noticed weakness on her right side and ordered an MRI. Years later, she still notices some effect on 'my ability to recall words.' Perhaps 'transient ischemic attack' is too reassuring a label, Johnston and a co-author argued in a 2022 editorial in JAMA. They suggested that giving a TIA a scarier name, like 'minor ischemic stroke,' would more likely prompt a 911 call. The experts interviewed for this column all endorsed the idea of a name that includes the word 'stroke.' Changing medical practice is 'frustratingly slow,' Johnston acknowledged. But whatever the nomenclature, keeping BE FAST in mind could lead to more examples like Wanda Mercer, who shared her experience in a previous column. In 2018, she donated at the bloodmobile outside her office in Austin, where she was a systems administrator for the University of Texas, then walked two blocks to a restaurant for lunch. 'Waiting in line, I remember feeling a little lightheaded,' she said. 'I woke up on the floor.' Reviving, she assured the worried restaurant manager that she had merely fainted after giving blood. But the manager had already called an ambulance — this was smart move No. 1. The ER doctors ran tests, saw no problems, gave Mercer intravenous fluids, and discharged her. 'I began to tell my colleagues, 'Guess what happened to me at lunch!'' she recalled. But, she said, she had lost her words: 'I couldn't articulate what I wanted to say.' Smart move No. 2: Co-workers, suspecting a stroke, called the EMTs for the second time. 'I was reluctant to go,' Mercer said. 'But they were right.' This time, emergency room doctors diagnosed a minor stroke. Mercer has had no recurrences. She takes a statin and a baby aspirin daily and sees her primary care doctor annually. Otherwise, at 73, she has retired to an active life of travel, pickleball, running, weightlifting, and book groups. 'I'm very grateful,' she said, 'that I have a happy story to tell.'
