Hospital healing garden offers patients a space to relax, reflect
Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest showed off a new mural Thursday morning that is meant to help patients, hospital visitors and staff reflect and relax.
The unveiling ceremony of the mural, which was finished in August, took place in front of it at the recently refurbished courtyard healing garden outside the Kasych Family Pavilion.
The mural is painted on a 183 feet long and 11 feet high concrete wall and depicts a natural landscape with hanging willows, blossoming trees, a stream with a bridge, waterfall, rolling hills and other soothing aspects of nature.
“This mural is a monument to compassion, to peace and healing,” said John Pierro, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Lehigh Valley Health Network.
It took four artists from Freehand Murals several months to paint the 2,000-square-foot mural. The same artists were involved in a wall and ceiling mural in a burn unit operating room at LVH—Cedar Crest seven years ago.
Jeanette Leggett, one of the artists with Freehand Murals said the work on this mural started where the burn unit mural left off. She added that as they painted, conversations with visitors who came to watch helped shape what they painted at the mural.
“We listened to their stories over and over again and realized the impact of this work. We had the joy of painting a bird in honor of the father of a deceased visitor and we incorporated animal and bird images that patients shared with us,” Leggett said. “The children from the hospital daycare center told us how much they wanted to swim and jump in the waterfall.”
She added that LVH-Cedar Crest staff members on a daily basis shared their ideas for the mural. One LVHN employee Jill Krystofinski, a nurse anesthetist with Lehigh Valley Anesthesia Services, was a major force behind both the operating room and healing garden murals she said.
Krystofinski, who works on the LVH—Cedar Crest burn unit, said there are many others who are owed thanks for making the project happen.
“The healing garden will bring strength to patients, families and staff members. It is a beautiful place to nurse the soul. It says your community loves and supports you, and that’s the most beautiful gift of all,” Krystofinski said.
Former burn patient Leo Woelkers of Moscow, Lackawanna County, also spoke at the mural presentation. He said he wished the healing garden and mural were there 11 years ago when he was at the hospital.
“We hope all patients here at Cedar Crest, including burn patients, along with staff and visitors, find peace and hope and solitude in this place,” Woelkers said.