Cancer patients at the Hulston Cancer Center may one day take a break from treatment to relax on a rooftop garden in south Springfield.

CoxHealth plans to build a “healing garden” on the roof of the center’s first floor, facing east and overlooking Burrell Lake and park.

The cancer center is just east of Cox South hospital.

The garden, by H Design Group, includes a 1,500-square-foot deck with benches, flower and tree planters and a water feature.

The garden is part of an overall “healing environment” that Cox is creating at the center and part of a national trend in medicine to provide natural retreats for emotional respite.

The $190,000 project is expected to be funded soley through philanthropic donations, said Lisa Alexander, president of CoxHealth Foundation.

“It’s going to be one of the best things we’ve done at the cancer center,” Alexander said. Patients as well as their family members, visitors, staff and physicians will be able to use it.

Cox has raised $107,405 through 29 donors including patients, physicians, staff and an anonymous donor who gave $50,000, she said.

If the total can be raised by May, the project can begin this summer and open by fall, she said.

“Patients are often at the center for a number of hours, and having a garden for them to relax and unwind in is something we’re confident will impact outcomes and enhance the care they are receiving,” said June Johnson, administrative director for Hulston Cancer Center.

Healing gardens are cropping up at cancer centers across the country, from MD Anderson in Houston to the University of Washington Medical Center, Alexander said.

Early 1980s research shows that surgical patients who were exposed to healing garden environments required less pain medication, called for their nurse less frequently, and left the hospital sooner when they had access to the outdoors during their recovery, Alexander said.

The principal investigator, Roger Ulrich, from Texas A & M University, said the gardens help patients achieve a sense of control, encourage social support, offer opportunities for movement and light exercise, and provide soothing distractions.

At Cox, Hulston Cancer Center joined the movement in recent years, adding an aviary, waterfalls, art work, an atrium cafe and piano music in various departments and waiting areas.

St. John’s Hospital will incorporate similar gardens into the renovated campus between South National Avenue and Seminole Street, said spokeswoman Cora Scott.

Two gardens are planned just past the new inpatient tower under construction, and could be open by January 2008.

The meditative garden has a water feature and a statue of Jesus. A second garden will be a more social space, with tables and seating.

source : www.news-leader.com By Kathleen O’Dell