Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The wish for healing has always been half of health
The birth of a baby is one of the happiest times in the lives of parents, but when complications result such as a baby being born preterm, the emotional toll on the family can be heavy.
Having a newborn admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is not what any parent envisions when they are planning their baby’s first hours, weeks or even months after birth.
To address the needs of these parents and families, the staff, volunteers and physicians of Northwest Health System on the Willow Creek Women’s Hospital campus have initiated the “Healing Garden” project to help families cope more peacefully and calmly with the stress and anxiety associated with having a baby in the NICU.
“The Healing Garden will provide a peaceful oasis at a time of unimaginable stress for parents and families,” said Lesa Tucker, Senior Circle Advisor/Volunteer Coodinator Northwest Medical Center-Springdale and Willow Creek.
Preterm birth can shatter couples’ expectations of parenthood, and the emotional impact of leaving the hospital without a baby in your arms can be nearly unbearable.
“The Healing Garden will be a place for families of babies at Willow Creek to find comfort,” Tucker said.
Willow Creek Women’s Hospital is the only dedicated women’s hospital in NWA with a Level III NICU. The cost of making the Healing Garden a reality is $160,000, of which $20,000 has been raised. The staff at Willow Creek has partnered with the Jackson L. Graves Foundation which has worked closely with the hospital to provide funding for programs in the NICU that support critically ill babies and their families. The Foundation was formed in memory of Jackson Lee Graves, who passed away in February 2005 at the age of four months.
Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville also has a Healing Garden project underway for its new six-bed level II NICU.
“It is our goal to not only have the Healing Garden within the NICU area but also provide a vegetable garden where we will have a Friday Farmers Market during the summer months,” said Cindy Sadler, Volunteer Coordinator/Senior Circle Advisor for NMC-Bentonville. “The proceeds will support the maintenance of the gardens.”
The cost of the Healing Garden on the Bentonville campus is substantially less because little demolition and construction are needed. The auxilary there has already reaised $700 and is currently looking for partners to help raise funding for the project. Recently, Pathfinders Organization joined the project to work the gardens and Northwest Health System CEO Shari Omar committed $2,500 to the project.
Omas also established a $5,000 matching grant for Willow Creek’s Healing Garden.
“Parents of NICU babies can suffer emotional and physical exhaustion and stress while their babies are in the NICU. The Healing Garden on both campuses will offer a place of respite for these families, a place to comfort each other outside of the NICU but while remaining close to their baby,” Omar said.
One in every 10 babies born in the U.S. is admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, according to the March of Dimes. The staff and physicians at Willow Creek Women’s Hospital and at NMC-Bentonville understand how important family support is to the health of these babies to help them grow stronger and meet the milestones they must reach before they can go home.
At Northwest Health System, the importance of providing unparalleled care for patients is what drives the staff and physicians to continually seek out and implement programs and services that enhance their experience in the hospital while allowing them to remain close to home during those trying times. THe two Healing Gardens will be safe and soft places for those dealing with the emotional challenges often associated with having a baby in the NICU.
For those who would like to help the volunteer auxiliaries on either campus and be a part of developing the Healing Gardens, a wide range of giving levels have been established. Additional information is available by calling (479) 751-5711 and asking for Lesa Tucker or Cindy Sadler.