Foundation for Geauga Parks Trustees on the Importance of New Wellness Trail

Know the people behind a project and you identify the pulse point of the story.

In October, UH Geauga Medical Center introduced its new public wellness trail to the community – a 0.8-mile walking trail with a 0.5-mile option, through mature woods located on its campus. The project, which took nearly three years from vision to reality, included collaboration, melding grant funding and private donations. One source of grant funding totaling $50,000 over five years was from the Foundation for Geauga Parks. The organization only funds public projects.

Meet two Newbury Township residents – Foundation for Geauga Parks trustees Eric Sukalac and Marcia Owen - behind the foundation’s involvement providing a snapshot of the essence of the organization’s mission of community engagement with nature.

For Sukalac a project like the UH Geauga trail is especially important as it provides mental health benefits. “Walking in general is good for mental health,” he said. “Immersing yourself in nature amplifies the benefits.” Describing the hospital property’s trail as “carved into an older forest,” Sukalac said it does a particularly good job at connecting walkers to nature. “People talk about going outside and touching the grass,” he added. “Walking the trail connects us.” Sukalac, former president of the board who is in his second term as a trustee, frequently takes his meetings via cell phone while walking outside.

“That connection can do wonders for our wellbeing,” added Marcia Owen. “I come from growing up in the country. We have amazing parks in this county,” she said. Walking on the trail allows you to “leave today behind or leave yesterday behind. It touches your soul and mind,” she said.

And science supports the health benefits to getting outdoors. According to a story in Harvard Medicine Magazine, some physicians are prescribing “doses of nature as a part of broader treatment plans for mental health issues like grief, depression, or anxiety.”

At UH Geauga, Jessica Jurcak, certified Forest Bathing Guide and UH Manager of Whole Health and Well-Being Operations, agrees with the encouragement to spend time outside. “Spending undistracted time in natural environments such as parks, forests, or near bodies of water, is immensely beneficial for our well-being,” she says. (Becoming a certified Forest Bathing Guide involves completing specialized training programs that focus on the principles of forest therapy and nature connection, according to the Association of Nature Forest Therapy.) UH believes that wellness is comprised of many facets and walking in nature fulfills all five of UH’s Pillars of Well-being: connect, move, refresh, prevent and nourish.

“Walking in nature gives us opportunities for attention restoration, meaning our brains relax so that we can better concentrate, focus and sort memories. And aside from the obvious benefits of exercising outdoors, there is also no limit to the number of opportunities to practice mindfulness through our senses and to experience moments of awe and wonder, she added.

Like Sukalac, Owen agreed that people need to get out into nature. “Mentally, it’s great for you,” she said.

Describing a recent experience on the trail, Owen said, “On a crisp day with the wind blowing, and the leaves falling and the sounds of the birds,” the trail helps relieve stress. “It nourishes you.”

“I hiked it (the trail) before it opened, Owen said. There was a gentleman ahead of me – a member of the medical community – and she said he told her the trail, “Helps put your mind in the right place.” It’s good for the (hospital staff) and employees at the many other offices on nearby Ravenwood Drive, she added, including the County offices, Sheriff Department Safety Center, and Dog Warden.

“Volunteers like Eric and Marcia embody the heart of what makes community projects like the UH Geauga Wellness Trail possible. Their dedication, passion for nature, and belief in the power of connecting people to the outdoors inspire everything we do at the Foundation for Geauga Parks," said Christine Davidson, Executive Director. “When individuals lend their time and talents to create spaces that nourish both body and mind, they’re not just building trails — they’re strengthening the very fabric of our community,”

Owen describes her role as a Foundation Trustee as being a part of something that makes a difference. Serving her fifth year as a Trustee, Owen is also co-chair of the Geauga County Library Foundation and a volunteer for the Geauga Park District. Of the future, Sukalac said perhaps there will be some benches along the trail for people to rest and “be immediately immersed in the trail.”

The trail is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk. Access and ample parking is located near the UH Seidman Cancer Center in the northeast area of the hospital complex.

EVIDENCE FOR BENEFITS OF NATURE AND WALKING TRAILS

The concept of the wellness trail at UH Geauga came to be because hospital staff face elevated stress and burnout. Offering a nature-immersed walking trail provides a direct, evidence-based way to support their mental and physical health.

And studies support these conclusions:

• The idea of a nature-focused walking trail is being tested, and results indicate there are benefits to walking in green space for stress reduction and physical health. “A study at Harvard Medical School noted that compared with built environments, time spent in natural settings produced measurable reductions in salivary cortisol (a biomarker of stress) and reduced activity in brain regions linked to rumination,” a cycle of negative thoughts sometimes associated with depression (Harvard Medicine Magazine).
  

• The American Heart Association says spending time in nature—whether through forest bathing, ecotherapy, or simple outdoor walks—can significantly improve mental health and overall well-being. Humans are evolutionarily wired to connect with the natural world, and modern lifestyles often neglect this bond, leading to various emotional and cognitive challenges. The term “forest bathing” refers to immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the forest.
  

• Another study examined the impact on healthcare workers of walking in urban settings that varied in the amount of vegetation they contained. According to the study, researchers measured the impact of these walks on their attention, affect, and anxiety. Results showed that compared to walking in a barren urban setting, walking in green urban settings resulted in higher levels of attentional functioning, more positive affect, and less anxiety in healthcare workers. Saeidi-Rizi, F., Chang, CY. & Sullivan, W. The therapeutic effects of urban walks on healthcare workers: green vs. barren settings. Landscape Ecol Eng 21, 729–744 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11355-025-00668-3

Written by Kelly Donahue, Surepath Strategies