THE ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION HAS INTRODUCED a new program that reflects the success of the Tree City USA® program and extends the benefits of an improved community forest. Tree Campus HealthcareSM is designed to promote trees and tree care at hospitals of all sizes as well as senior care and other inpatient healthcare facilities.
This new program will improve community wellness by building on the scientific studies that show the health benefits of trees. For example, findings by Dr. Roger Ulrich gained worldwide attention when he documented faster and more satisfactory recovery of post-operative hospital patients who had a window view of trees as opposed to those who had the same kind of operation but viewed only a brick wall. Since that epic study in the 1970s, dozens of others have found similar results, ranging from safer pregnancies to the wellness of senior citizens — all linked to trees and most likely the stress reduction they provide for us.
Tree Campus K-12: Inspiring Young Stewards of the Earth
To encourage the practical and more widespread application of these findings, the Arbor Day Foundation — with professional partner, The Davey Tree Expert Company and collaborators the Professional Grounds Management Society, Practice Greenhealth, and the U.S. Forest Service — has developed a recognition program that honors healthcare facilities that create therapeutic landscapes on their properties and communities and meet these five standards:
1. An advisory committee with representation from such stakeholders as healthcare providers, grounds personnel, patient advocates, and community forestry officials.
2. A tree care plan that nurtures and protects campus trees and identifies opportunities for strategically adding new trees. For facilities with little or no space for trees on the property, an option is to adopt street or other public trees adjacent to the facility.
3. Collaboration with the community as evidenced by leading a community forestry practice at least once during the year, such as tree planting, monitoring, or other activities that engage community residents in the project.
4. Celebrate and educate by sponsoring an event such as Arbor Day or a campaign to highlight the connection between trees, nature, and human health.
5. Financial commitment toward the implementation of the above through a suggested investment of at least $2 per full-time equivalent employee in cash or in-kind contributions.
Recognizing the importance of this new program to overall community wellness, Jon Utech, senior director of the Office for a Healthy Environment at the Cleveland Clinic, says, “Participating in the Tree Campus Healthcare program is an integral part of our strategy to invest in the health and well-being of the population we serve. We want to inspire other health providers to join us, as tree planting is critical to keeping our cities cool, improving the quality of our air and water, and enhancing both the beauty and climate resilience of our neighborhoods.”
For more information about Tree Campus Healthcare and to view the 16 hospitals recognized, please visit treecampushealthcare.org.
