ALEXANDRIA, VA – Thanks to public votes, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital recently won a special grant. The $3,000 grant, awarded to the hospital’s Therapeutic Recreation Team, was presented by the National Garden Bureau.
A philanthropic program, the Therapeutic Garden Grant supports therapeutic gardening nationwide. Inova Mount Vernon has been recognized as one of the few programs of its type in the Northern Virginia region.
“Horticultural therapy is a unique program within our renowned inpatient rehabilitation center,” said Roberta Tinch, MHA, FACHE, President of Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and Administrator of Inova’s musculoskeletal services. “Over the years, the program has evolved from a small raised garden to a therapeutic pavilion, where multidisciplinary teams of therapists use gardening tasks to work on individual patient goals. It is just one of the many programs we offer our rehabilitation patients to help them regain the skills needed to return to their fullest lives.”
The hospital’s horticultural program began in 2019 through a partnership with Jan Lane, the owner of GardenLane LLC. The weekly, year-round therapy centers on how a patient’s progress in rehab mirrors a plant’s growth. It has been shown to improve memory, cognitive ability, and language and social skills.
“It is a joy to see patients get such a sense of accomplishment as they work to complete a project and make progress toward their therapeutic goals as well,” Lane said.
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