Cultivating wellness from the ground up
Main Line Health respects the connection between nature, nutrition and wellness.
Visit our exhibit at the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show! While you’re there, snap a photo and tag #mlhflowerpower
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At Main Line Health, we know that achieving true wellness requires a holistic approach. That’s why we’re committed to investing in resources, programs and treatments that allow us to effectively treat the whole person—mind, body and spirit.
In collaboration with Greener Partners, Lankenau Medical Center, part of Main Line Health, has taken the progressive step of planting and maintaining a year-round, half-acre organic farm. Our goal is to harness the power of locally grown food to strengthen our community’s health. The Delema G. Deaver Wellness Farm includes over two dozen raised garden beds, a greenhouse, educational areas and tasting stations. The Wellness Farm distributes its produce to patients and neighborhood residents to emphasize the role of healthy foods in preventative care—making Lankenau Medical Center one of only a few hospitals in the U.S. to integrate its bounty into patient care and community education.
The Wellness Farm has provided more than 13,500 pounds of organically-grown food to hospital patients and neighborhood residents at no cost.
Since its first harvest in 2016, the farm has provided more than 3,500 patients with organic produce and information on healthy eating.
Since its inception in April 2016, the Wellness Farm has held 50 farm-based youth education classes for more than 1,500 students.
The Sydney Thayer III Horticultural Center at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital is a state-of-the-art facility with cathedral ceilings, skylights and a large greenhouse that radiates peace and beauty. Patients in horticultural therapy enjoy activities like starting seeds; watering or repotting plantings; working with fresh flowers; arranging, drying and pressing flowers; and when the weather permits, outdoor gardening.
With the help of registered horticultural therapists, as well as physical, occupational, recreational and speech therapists, Bryn Mawr Rehab patients work toward therapy goals while enjoying practical activities, in a group setting or individually. Working with plants, patients can improve mobility, coordination, balance, endurance, memory and socialization skills in a natural, therapeutic setting.
Based upon the individualized plan of care, horticultural therapy at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital may be appropriate for both inpatients and outpatients.
More than 2,800 Bryn Mawr Rehab patients participate in horticultural therapy sessions annually. Sowing seeds, tending to plants, and outdoor gardening are integral to achieving their physical rehab goals.
As part of cognitive learning for physical rehab patients, more than 450 pounds of produce is grown, harvested, weighed and measured annually to be donated to the Chester County Food Bank.
As memory is connected to one’s sense of smell, time spent in the garden allows patients to use their senses to trigger emotional responses or memories by the more than 50 species of plants.
As part of the holistic approach to treating drug and alcohol addiction, the Healing Garden at Mirmont Treatment Center offers a peaceful haven for our patients on their road to a successful recovery. Healing gardens play an integral role in helping individuals improve their mental health. Even the tiniest of natural spaces is known to help provide patients with the reprieve they need.
The Healing Garden is designed as a quiet, nurturing space where individuals can sit and contemplate life or talk quietly with loved ones and supporters. At Main Line Health, we promote the well-being of our patients in mind, body and spirit as an important part of their healing process.
We strive to make every patient as relaxed and comfortable as possible while receiving medical care at Main Line Health. To do this, we offer a number of healing therapies that have been shown to speed recovery and reduce symptoms such as pain, anxiety, fatigue and depression.
Healing energy work helps reduce pain, anxiety and improves overall sense of well-being.
Based on ancient herbal wisdom, certain essential oils promote calm and healing. Aromatherapy can be a soothing complement to the medical care you are receiving. Our nurses incorporate sweet orange (uplifting), lavender (calming) and peppermint (revitalizing) essential oils into their daily routines.
Animals, such as service dogs, help decrease stress and lift spirits.
Making art to improve a person's physical, mental and or emotional well-being. Soothing music provides a calming environment for patients and visitors. Guided imagery is a visualization technique offered to select surgical patients to help with relaxation.
