Dominican Foundation Ground Breaking on Healing Courtyards

The Healing Courtyards, is an important project that will leave a lasting effect on Dominican Hospital and our community. From patients and family members, to employees and physicians, all will benefit from these spaces.

Over 60 scientific studies show that interaction with nature reduces pain and stress and boosts immune systems. Research based studies with actual patients showed that access to a garden can speed up healing from surgery and infections and reduce the need for pain medication, resulting in fewer post-surgical complications and less hospital time.

To celebrate and kick off the start to these Healing Courtyards, Dominican Hospital Foundation had a ground breaking ceremony. Two courtyards were part of this event.

The Central Surgery Lounge, Central Surgery Courtyard and Balcony: Used by over 50,000 people each year, the Central Surgery Lounge is the main waiting area for acute surgeries. Designed with the input of surgeons and nurses, the plan doubles the size of the waiting area and adds a room for surgeons to privately consult with families and friends of patients. The remodel impacts the adjoining courtyard. The Central Surgery Courtyard will be redesigned with water features and private respite areas to reduce stress for visitors as well as patients undergoing and recovering from surgery. The addition allows for an upstairs balcony expansion, significantly increasing the only outside space available to patients on the second floor.

Rehabilitation Garden: The Rehabilitation garden is designed by physical, occupational, and speech therapists for patients with neurological conditions in our Acute Rehabilitation Unit (ARU). These are primarily patients with strokes, brain or spinal surgery, or head trauma. The Rehabilitation Garden area provides a serious, outside therapy training area with features intentionally designed to help patients improve in a real life environment. Such features include a putting green for balance, outdoor games for manual dexterity and memory function, garden signage for language skills, and various pathways, pavement surfaces, and stair configurations for patients navigating with walkers, wheelchairs, and canes. By utilizing the outdoor Rehabilitation Garden space, therapists can increases patient progress and return them home quicker.

It was a beautiful day to celebrate these new additions to the already fantastic hospital environment. There was an after party at the foundation office.

Photos- Yvonne Falk