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Dr. Laura Payne: Parks as prescriptions for health

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Dra. Laura Payne: Los parques como recetas para la salud

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Spending time in parks and green spaces isn’t just a way to unwind—research shows it’s essential for health and well-being. On October 20, 2025, SciLine interviewed Dr. Laura Payne, a professor and director of the Office of Recreation & Park Resources (ORPR) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

TV bundle includes:

  • Soundbite (SOT)
  • VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
  • Raw, full-length interview video & log with timecodes (upon request via form below)

These resources are free to use. No attribution to SciLine is required.

Soundbite (SOT) and pronouncer

Downloadable video of the soundbite

High definition (mp4, 1280x720)

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Click for VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)

ANCHOR
INSTEAD OF PICKING UP PRESCRIPTIONS FROM THE PHARMACY… WHAT IF YOUR DOCTOR PRESCRIBED A WALK IN THE PARK?

VO
DOCTOR LAURA PAYNE IS A PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF RECREATION AND PARK RESOURCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN.
SHE SAYS HEALTHY HABITS… LIKE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY… CAN HELP PREVENT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE… HEART DISEASE… EVEN SOME CANCERS.
AND PARKS MAKE IT EASIER TO STAY ACTIVE.
SPENDING TIME IN GREEN SPACES ALSO HELPS YOUR MENTAL HEALTH… EASING STRESS AND ANXIETY.
AND JUST BEING OUTSIDE SHE SAYS… HELPS YOU SLOW DOWN AND FEEL MORE CONNECTED TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU.

SOT
Duration: 0:37
Super: Dr. Laura Payne – Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
“It sort of brings everything down and helps us see that sort of like the simple beauty in things and reminds us that our lives aren’t just 100% hustle bustle, running from one thing to the next. The natural world has its own pace, and it’s okay for us to kind of dive into that and find that slower pace, even for a few minutes, to reconnect and restore our bodies and our minds.”

VO
DOCTOR PAYNE SAYS THE GOLD STANDARD IS HAVING A PARK OR GREEN SPACE WITHIN A TEN-MINUTE WALK.
BUT EVEN IF YOU DON’T… SHE SAYS JUST GETTING OUTSIDE FOR A FEW MINUTES A DAY IS A GREAT HEALTHY HABIT TO START.

Raw, full-length interview covers:

  • The health benefits of spending time in parks and green spaces;
  • Why parks and green spaces are essential to public health, healthcare, and reducing health disparities;
  • Best practices to improve equitable access to parks and green spaces;
  • How parks and green space designs can support individual and community health and well-being;
  • Policies that promote the use of parks and green spaces for health – especially in urban, rural, and under-resourced areas with limited access; and
  • Actionable ways to spend more time outside.

Contents

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