Green Build Series: Gardens in Health Care 101

Recorded On: 06/30/2015

Overview

This session has been approved for 1.0 AIA credit

Session Description

Health care professionals, grounds staff, managers, volunteers, sustainability teams, designers and architects will experience best practices in two Portland, Oregon health care systems. The presenters have a combined 28 years of experience in health care garden design, programming and evaluation. The session opens with the evidence base to support gardens in health care. The evidence informs the interdisciplinary planning process, engagement by all user groups, and the design features. Two garden case studies outline the elements of construction and programming. Maintenance and year-round garden care are highlighted, and resources will be shared for those in the beginning stages of planning and design for the garden as a therapeutic setting to support clinical care.

Learning Objectives

Describe the evidence-base of gardens in health care.
Summarize planning process strategies.
List 3-5 best practices for successful garden design, implementation and programming.

Presenters

Scott Hoffman, BS, Gardener, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Scott Hoffman has a B.S. in Horticulture and Environmental Landscaping from the University of MN, Crookston. He is the Gardener with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Portland Health Care System in Portland, OR, and has been with the VA for four years. Additionally, he is also a U.S. Air Force Veteran with six years serving in Japan, Turkey, and Germany.

He currently is a graduate student at Washington State University studying Healthcare Healing Gardens. His graduate project involves the research, design, and installation of a Healing Garden at the VA Portland Health Care System. He created three separate designs and surveyed the medical center population to see what patients, staff, and visitors preferred in a healing garden. Everyone analyzed each design and voted for their choice. His preliminary findings have found that a native landscape design is best suited for a healing garden. The garden installation began in January 2015, with an opening date scheduled for July 2015. He continues his graduate studies and leading the Portland VA Veterans Healing Garden project. Furthermore, he continues to looks for environmentally friendly and sustainable practices to further improve the medical center campus grounds.

Teresia Hazen, MEd, HTR, QMHP, Registered Horticultural Therapist, Coordinator of Therapeutic Gardens and HT, Legacy Health

Teresia M. Hazen, MEd, HTR, QMHP has been with Legacy Health in Portland, Oregon since 1991. Teresia is responsible for pioneering the horticultural therapy program and therapeutic gardens for Legacy's long-term care and skilled nursing patients, in 1991. Today, she oversees ten therapeutic gardens and horticultural therapy work through the Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon, Emanuel Children's Hospital and the Oregon Burn Center. The Good Samaritan Hospital Stenzel Healing Garden was recognized by the American Horticultural Therapy Association Therapeutic Garden Award in 1998. The Children's Hospital Garden received the same honor in 2000 and the Oregon Burn Center Garden in 2006.

In addition to being a Registered Horticultural Therapist, Ms. Hazen holds a Master of Education degree (M.Ed.), a K – 12 Administrative Credential, and is a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP). The focus of her training has been pediatrics, gerontology, addictions counseling, special education, horticulture and curriculum design.

Teresia calls upon her extensive, broad-based background to facilitate interdisciplinary garden design teams and to develop therapeutic programs in healthcare gardens. She is also responsible for aspects of fund development, marketing, public relations and volunteer services to sustain the garden programs.

Teresia served on the American Horticultural Therapy Association Board of Directors from 1995 – 1999. In 2003, the Association recognized her leadership by honoring her with the Rhea McCandliss Professional Service Award. In 2007, the American Horticultural Society awarded Teresia the annual HT award for national leadership. In 2012, the Portland Garden Club recognized her with their “Outstanding Achievement Award." For ten years, she has served as an instructor for the Chicago Botanic Garden Healthcare Garden Design Certificate program and for six years teaching at the University of Washington Certificate in Therapeutic/Healing Gardens program. She has taught, lectured and consulted regarding gardens in healthcare, horticultural therapy for a wide variety of populations, benefits of gardening and nearby nature, therapeutic garden design, participatory design process, and gardens in senior living communities in the US, Japan, Korea, China, Canada, France and Britain.