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A public fundraising campaign to create the country’s first-ever large-scale, indoor Healing Garden, at North Shore Hospital, has special significance for Scotts Landing resident Robyn Redford.
Robyn lost her husband Lindsay Crocker to pancreatic cancer in May this year.
“He spent his last 23 days in the confines of Ward 2, which was in stark contrast to the home he left with the large garden he loved and views across the Mahurangi Harbour,” Robyn says.
“The windows on Ward 2 are mostly too high for a patient to look out of and the views indifferent if they could.
“The wonderful renal specialists who cared for Lindsay strongly recommended we take him outside in a wheelchair to get some fresh air and a touch of nature. However, with cold and windy conditions, and no nature close by, this was a challenge.
“Imagine if I had been able to wheel Lindsay into the Healing Garden – safe, warm, dry and surrounded by nature. Without doubt, as a nature lover who spent his life enjoying the outdoors, Lindsay’s last days would have been enriched by such an experience.”
Robyn says the public has very few opportunities to actively support North Shore Hospital, despite it being “our mothership” when we are sick or need emergency care.
“Supporting this appeal is a way for us to say thank you in a very meaningful way.”
The Well Foundation launched the fundraising campaign at the end of last month and aims to raise $1 million to fund the garden, which will cost in total $2 million. The greenspace will become the centrepiece of a four-storey, surgical and medical hospital, called Tōtara Haumaru (under the shade of the tōtara tree), which will open next year. The facility is in the grounds of the current hospital and will incorporate eight operating theatres, 150 beds and four endoscopy suites.
The key principle in planning the new hospital has been patient and whānau-centred design that supports modern models of care and in-built features that enhance the experience of patients, visitors and healthcare staff. Tōtara Hauramu will be where many from the Mahurangi community will be cared for in years to come, for both medical care and planned surgical procedures.
Well Foundation chief executive Tim Edmonds says the project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to come together as a community and help shape the future hospital environment.
“We know that being in a hospital can be a stressful experience, and hospitals are typically sterile, clinical environments, with limited access to nature,” Edmonds says. “Yet international research shows that green spaces in hospitals not only encourage relaxation and reduce stress for patients, visitors and healthcare workers, but can also help speed up recovery and improve clinical outcomes.”
The Healing Garden will fill the central atrium of the hospital complex and will consist of a series of large scale organic shaped planters, up to 40 metres long, filled with lush living plants suited to thriving indoors. There will be more than 20 different plant species, some reaching two metres tall, nestled into a living moss. People will be able to use the various seating options within the garden to rest and enjoy the space.
The lower level wards will look out onto the garden, with the layout and large foliage providing privacy. Patients staying on upper levels will have a view of the suspended sculptural lighting, while looking down onto the garden below. Significantly, the garden will feature a staff-only-space to provide hospital care teams a space away from clinical areas during their breaks.
The Well Foundation is the official charity of North Shore and Waitakere Hospitals and community health services in North and West Auckland. The foundation raises funds for projects that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
To support the Healing Garden project, go to
www.giveabitofgreen.co.nz. The Well Foundation says one hundred per cent of donations will be spent on the garden project.
