New healing gardens will provide hospital patients with safe, tranquil outdoor spaces designed to promote healing, announced John Sullivan, Board Chair, Blanche River Health Foundation.

“Because residents have opened their hearts and wallets to support the Blanche River Health Foundation 50/50 Lottery, hospital patients will soon have safe, tranquil gardens to enjoy while they receive the care they need,” he said. “The more than $150,000 generated in ticket sales since we launched the lottery 17 months ago is a testament to the generosity of locals.” 

Healing gardens have increased in popularity among many hospitals, and they can improve well-being, reduce stress and promote faster recoveries.

Recent studies point to the patient benefits of nature as a therapy, which can benefit the brain, as well as the nervous, immune and endocrine systems.  Evidence also points to a favourable impact on depression, anxiety, diabetes, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, infectious, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases, obesity, migraines, vertigo and respiratory disorders. 

Joan Brazeau, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Blanche River Health, says the benefits of healing gardens extend beyond patients.

“The number of hospitals that offer healing gardens to their patients is on the rise, and as an added benefit, they have gained popularity among patient visitors and hospital employees,” she said.  “We look forward to completing construction on these two exciting projects, which will be 100 per cent funded by the community through proceeds of the Blanche River Health 50/50 Lottery.”

Net proceeds from the lottery, which was launched in July, 2021, have surpassed $75,000.

Blanche River Health is a 74-bed hospital corporation with two sites serving the North Eastern Ontario communities of Englehart (26 beds) and Kirkland Lake (48 beds) as well as residents in surrounding areas.