In a bid to get more senior citizens out into the National Park System, "Senior Skip Day" is coming to the parks on October 8. The day, promoted by health-care company Humana, Inc., lets everyone age 62 and older into the National Park System for free.
Humana, a National Park Foundation premier partner for the Find Your Park movement and the official health care sponsor of the National Park Service Centennial, will also offer a Park Prescription (Park Rx) program in south Florida. Both will inspire people to head outdoors to help foster better overall health and well-being.
“Humana’s goal is to improve the health of the communities we serve by making it easy for people to achieve their best health,” said Humana President and CEO Bruce Broussard. “National parks are great resources offering a range of healthy experiences for people of all ages, and they represent a simple way to enjoy being healthy and active.”
“Spending time in parks has demonstrated benefits for physical and mental health, and the National Park Service is helping Americans make this connection,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “We appreciate Humana for their significant support, which is helping people find their park through healthy living.”
“Through their support, Humana is creating opportunities for people to see how parks and healthy living go hand in hand, underscoring how parks are relevant to their lives” said Will Shafroth, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “Our work with Humana is a great example of the important role that public-private partnerships play in inspiring more people to find their park.”
Humana-sponsored Find Your Park activities will help people from all backgrounds appreciate America’s national parks as great natural, cultural and historical resources that can also improve health. Humana employees kicked off the partnership with the National Park Foundation by creating a GPS-based geo map of #FindYourPark in a local park near Humana’s Louisville, Kentucky, headquarters to help raise the profile of the nation’s parks and encourage others to take advantage of all that national parks have to offer.
Comments
Anything that gets new people out to experience the parks is a good thing of course. But I'm wondering if their money might be better spent publicizing the Golden Age Pass and encouraging seniors to buy their own for just $10, giving them lifetime free admission, rather than for just 1 day.
I don't think any--or most seniors--are going to be tempted just for a "free day." For $10 as indicated, you can get a great bargain for entry into any park, any day. I got one years ago--when the were free! A year or so ago, I couldn't find it; bought another one. Ten bucks? The bargain of any lifetime, and money well spent...a pittance.