Clark Park ‘HealthPark’ to Launch in Southwest Detroit

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Healthy Detroit plans to launch an eight-week pilot program devoted to preventive health activities — including fitness programs, cooking demonstrations, and screenings and immunizations — at Clark Park in southwest Detroit this month.

As part of the new program, Clark Park will act as a hub for health-related organizations and businesses on a weekly basis, providing free adult and youth fitness programs; community conversations on mental health; and healthy meals for kids. Breaking the park into five zones dedicated to healthy eating, healthy minds, healthy living, sports, and fitness, the program aims to improve the health of everyone — regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic background. 

“We chose city parks as our vehicle for building a culture of health because it’s the one piece of a community that has no barriers or limitations,” says Nicholas T. Mukhtar, founder and CEO of Healthy Detroit. “A founding principle of Healthy Detroit is to tackle the alarming health disparities that exist. That being said, our target population for HealthParks is the underserved residents of Detroit that have previously not had access to some of the health and wellness services we hope to provide.”

In time, Healthy Detroit will expand the concept to additional parks throughout the city and is working with the Detroit Recreation Department to incorporate some of the key HealthPark elements into other city parks.

“We hope to scale this concept up and have a presence in multiple parks as soon as possible,” Mukhtar says. “The rec department has been very supportive of our initiative and we’re very excited about this partnership as well.”

Healthy Detroit — founded last year in response to the U.S. Surgeon General’s National Prevention Strategy — tentatively plans to launch the Clark Park HealthPark on July 26, and will open each following Saturday through Sept. 13.

For more information, or to confirm dates and times, visit healthydetroit.org.