Legacy Community Health, BCycle, American Heart Association, Bosch, Harris County partner for new Bike Rx program

Health care provider Legacy Community Health has launched a new social program allowing individuals access to a local bike-share program.

In collaboration with the American Heart Association, Bosch and Harris County Precinct 1 and utilizing Houston BCycle equipment, patients can now be prescribed bike rides using Houston BCycle memberships, according to an Oct. 26 news release.

Called Bike Rx, providers at participating clinics, such as Legacy Fifth Ward, can recommend physical activity, help the patient sign up for a free BCycle membership, and then track the activity and bike use in the clinic’s electronic health records, according to the release.

“Bike Rx is an innovative solution addressing health inequity in underserved communities,” said Felicia Latson, senior director of programs for social determinants of health at Legacy, in the news release. “Physical activity can be difficult when you don’t have access to equipment. Many community events have been taking place outdoors in response to the pandemic; this is a solution that can bridge the two to keep people active and give them a sense of community.”

Bike equipment will be provided with the Houston BCycle membership; anyone can check out a bike at any of more than 140 stations and ride to any other station or back to where they started, whether it is for fun, exercise, or a commute to work or school.

“Education on healthy lifestyles and removing the barriers that make healthy living a challenge, has the power to transform our community,” said Dr. Doug Lawson, CEO of St. Luke’s Health and president of the Board for the American Heart Association Greater Houston Division. “The launch of the Bike Rx program is an important step to recognizing and addressing those social determinants of health that often lead to poor cardiovascular and brain health within priority populations.”