BUFFALO, Minn. (Aug. 26, 2019) — Buffalo Hospital Foundation is pleased to announce that work has begun on the south lawn of the hospital campus to bring a healing environment outside hospital walls. The project, entitled the Nature’s Healing Spaces Campaign, is the culmination of two years of planning, preparation and fundraising. Through gifts from local civic groups, community members, hospital employees and vendors, more than $300,000 has been raised to establish walking paths, landscaping, benches, a patio and a railed rehabilitation walkway for inpatient physical therapy.
A Public Gathering Place
“This outdoor healing environment will be accessible to all,” says Kelly Spratt, president of Buffalo Hospital. “Hospital patients and their family members will greatly benefit from the ability to step outside for fresh air and relief from any stress they might be experiencing due to a hospitalization or procedure. Our employees will be able to take an outdoor break in a peaceful environment and the space is also open for any community members to simply come and enjoy, walk the paths or rest in the green areas.”
Two separate landscaped seating areas feature benches facing each other with space for a wheelchair or stroller to park, allowing for private conversations. An additional six benches are located around the pathways.
The Power of Nature
Studies have shown that time spent in nature can calm the mind, reduce stress and encourage healing capabilities by interrupting stress pathways in the brain and providing positive distraction. Time outdoors brings about an improvement in the overall sense of wellbeing and an increase in self-esteem and mood. The healing power of nature is especially impactful in a medical setting. Patients walking through outdoor space receive both physical and psychological benefits. After only five minutes in a healing garden, patients in a study reported feeling refreshed with a more positive outlook and ability to cope, proving that this restorative sanctuary will help patients to heal emotionally while they are being treated for physical ailments.
Project Facts
Part of Allina Health, Buffalo Hospital is a not-for-profit regional medical center committed to providing exceptional care and improving the health of the communities it serves in and around Wright County.
Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A not-for-profit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 10 hospitals / 13 campuses, 15 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services.